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

Kelly, 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 Kelly surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kelly in America

Kelly is the 74th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kelly surname appeared 267,394 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 91 people would have the surname Kelly.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kelly 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 Kelly

The surname Kelly originates from Ireland and is derived from the Irish Gaelic name O'Ceallaigh, which means "descendant of Ceallach." The name Ceallach itself comes from an old Irish word meaning "bright-headed" or "bright mind." The name can be traced back to the 7th century in Ireland, and it was particularly common in the counties of Galway and Mayo on the west coast of the island.

The earliest recorded mention of the Kelly surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history written in the early 17th century. The annals mention several notable individuals with the name, including Tadhg O'Ceallaigh, who was the Bishop of Clonfert in the 12th century, and Donnchadh O'Ceallaigh, who was a prominent chieftain in Connaught in the 13th century.

As the Kelly family spread throughout Ireland, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Kellie, Kelley, and Callaghan. These variations were often influenced by regional accents and dialects, as well as by the scribes who recorded the names in official documents.

One of the most famous individuals with the Kelly surname is Grace O'Malley, also known as the "Pirate Queen of Connaught." She was born around 1530 and became a powerful figure in Irish maritime history, commanding a fleet of ships and engaging in various military and trading ventures along the Irish coast.

Another notable Kelly is Edward Kelly, who was born in 1555 and was a renowned alchemist and occultist. He was a close associate of the famous English mathematician and occultist John Dee, and together they claimed to have made contact with angelic beings through a series of rituals and divinations.

In the 18th century, George Kelly (1723-1804) was a prominent Irish-American revolutionary and political theorist. He was a member of the Continental Congress during the American Revolutionary War and is best known for his work "The Philadelphia Doctrine," which advocated for the rights of the American colonies against British rule.

Hugh Kelly (1739-1777) was an Irish dramatist and author who wrote several popular plays in the 18th century, including "False Delicacy" and "A Word to the Wise." He was also a prominent figure in the literary circles of London during his time.

Michael Kelly (1762-1826) was an Irish tenor and composer who achieved great success in the opera houses of Europe during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was particularly renowned for his performances in the operas of Mozart and is considered one of the finest tenors of his era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kelly

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

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 Kelly 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 Kelly 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 Kelly was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!