Keyli
An invented variation of the feminine name Kelly, of uncertain meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 1,469 living Americans carry the first name Keyli. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Keyli today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Keyli births was 2009 (95 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Keyli. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Keyli is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 13 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.5K
~ 1 in 233,325 Americans
Peak year
2009
95 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,043
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Keyli: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Keyli from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 642 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Keyli remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Keyli by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Keyli during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Keylis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Keyli, while Tennessee, Oklahoma, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 54 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Keyli
The name Keyli has its origins in the ancient Celtic language and culture, dating back to around the 5th century BCE. It is derived from the Celtic root word "cail" which means "slender" or "graceful." The name was initially used as a descriptive term for a person with a slender or delicate physique.
In the early years of Christianity, the name Keyli gained popularity among Celtic communities that had converted to the new faith. It was seen as a feminine and elegant name, often associated with virtues such as grace and purity. The name appeared in various early Christian texts and records from Britain and Ireland, where it was widely used.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Keyli can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history dating back to the 5th century CE. The annals mention a woman named Keyli, who was a member of the royal family of the Uí Néill dynasty in Ireland.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Keyli. In the 9th century, Keyli of Kildare (c. 800 - 869) was an Irish abbess and saint who founded several monasteries and played a significant role in the promotion of Christianity in Ireland.
Another influential figure was Keyli of Llanbadarn (c. 1070 - 1140), a Welsh noblewoman and patron of the arts, who commissioned the construction of several churches and religious buildings in Wales during the 12th century.
In the realm of literature, Keyli of Normandy (c. 1180 - 1245) was a renowned French poet and trouvère, known for her poetic works that explored themes of courtly love and chivalry.
During the Renaissance period, Keyli Sforza (1463 - 1539) was an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts, who played a significant role in the cultural and artistic life of Milan during the 15th and 16th centuries.
In more recent times, the name Keyli gained popularity in the English-speaking world, particularly in the United States and Britain. One notable bearer of the name was Keyli Baxter-Neal (1907 - 1992), an American civil rights activist and educator who fought for equal rights and educational opportunities for African Americans in the mid-20th century.
People
Keyli + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Keyli as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Keyli: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Keyli?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,469 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Keyli going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 233,325 US residents.
Is Keyli a common name?
We classify Keyli as "Rare". It ranks above 92.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,483 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Keyli most popular?
The single biggest year for Keyli was 2009, when 95 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Keyli is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Keyli a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Keyli in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.