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

Kelsey, 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 Kelsey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kelsey in America

Kelsey is the 2501st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kelsey surname appeared 14,456 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Kelsey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kelsey 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 Kelsey

The surname Kelsey has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the place name "Kelsey" or "Kelseye," which refers to several villages and parishes in various parts of England, particularly in Lincolnshire and North Yorkshire.

The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "celd" or "ceald," meaning "cold," and "ēa" or "ēg," meaning "stream" or "island." This suggests that the name Kelsey originally referred to a cold stream or a cold river island. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as "Calesei" and "Caleseia."

One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Kelsey was Sir John Kelsey, a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament who lived in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. Another notable bearer of the name was Roger Kelsey, a merchant and politician from Lincolnshire who served as Mayor of Lincoln in the early 16th century.

In the 17th century, John Kelsey (1615-1699) was a respected English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Stuntney in Cambridgeshire. Meanwhile, Thomas Kelsey (1668-1729) was an English mathematician and astronomer known for his work on calculating eclipses.

Moving into the 18th century, Henry Kelsey (1667-1724) was a famous English explorer and fur trader who is credited with being the first European to document the existence of the Canadian Prairies. He played a significant role in the early exploration and mapping of western Canada.

Throughout history, the Kelsey surname has been associated with various place names and variations in spelling, such as Kelsey-on-the-Hill, Kelsey North, and Kelsey South, as well as alternative spellings like Kelsy, Kelcie, and Kelcey. Despite its English origins, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, with notable bearers of the surname found in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kelsey

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

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

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

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