Find out how popular the last name Kelley is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kelley.

Kelley, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kelley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kelley in America

Kelley is the 198th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kelley surname appeared 140,693 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 48 people would have the surname Kelley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kelley to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kelley

The surname Kelley is an ancient Irish name that originated in County Derry, Ireland. It is derived from the Gaelic word "O'Ceallaigh," which means "descendant of Ceallach." Ceallach was a popular personal name in Ireland during the Middle Ages, and it means "bright-headed" or "bright hair."

The name Kelley first appeared in Irish records in the 12th century. One of the earliest recorded examples is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a man named Domhnall O'Ceallaigh who lived in the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the Kelley family was one of the most powerful clans in County Derry, and they held significant lands and influence in the area. The name is also associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Killylea and Killyleagh, which are derived from the Gaelic word "Coill," meaning "wood," and the name Ceallach.

During the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century, many Irish families adopted anglicized versions of their surnames to adapt to the new English rule. The Gaelic name "O'Ceallaigh" was anglicized to "Kelley," "Kelly," and "Killey," among other spellings.

One of the most famous people with the surname Kelley was John Kelley (1753-1809), an American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He is best known for his role in the Battle of Monmouth, where he served as a personal guard to General George Washington.

Another notable figure with the Kelley surname was Edward Kelley (1555-1597), an English renaissance occultist and self-proclaimed spirit medium. He worked closely with the famous mathematician and occultist John Dee and was involved in various occult practices and alchemical experiments.

In the literary world, Mary Ann Kelley (1819-1893) was an Irish-American author and editor who wrote several novels and short stories. She is best known for her work "Massah and His Scholars," which was published in 1855.

John Kelley (1786-1857) was an American politician and jurist who served as the 21st Governor of Connecticut from 1842 to 1844. He was also a prominent lawyer and judge in the state.

Finally, James Kelley (1900-1972) was an American actor and singer who appeared in several Broadway musicals and Hollywood films during the mid-20th century. He is best known for his roles in the musicals "Pal Joey" and "On the Town."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kelley

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kelley.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kelley was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kelley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kelley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kelley, please contact us.

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