Kelan
An Old Irish name meaning "bright-headed" or "bright-capped".
Name Census estimates that about 1,754 living Americans carry the first name Kelan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kelan today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kelan births was 2007 (201 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kelan. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kelan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.8K
~ 1 in 195,413 Americans
Peak year
2007
201 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,541
Tracked since 1956
Census
Kelan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,556 people with the first name Kelan, which placed it at #9,096 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#9,096
National first-name rank
People counted
1.6K
1,556 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
52.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kelan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kelan is White at 52.6%. The next largest groups are Black (29.4%) and Two or More Races (6.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kelan described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kelan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.6% · 818
- Black or African American29.4% · 457
- Two or more races6.6% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 17
Popularity
Kelan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kelan from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 695 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kelan 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 Kelan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kelans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 21 states and territories. Texas, Georgia, California recorded the most babies named Kelan, while Washington, Oklahoma, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kelan
The name Kelan is a masculine given name with roots in the Irish and Gaelic languages. It is believed to have originated from the old Irish word "cailén," which means "young lad" or "boy." The name likely gained popularity in Ireland and Scotland during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kelan can be traced back to the 12th century, when it appears in ancient Irish manuscripts and genealogical records. It was commonly used as a personal name among Irish and Scottish families, particularly those with Celtic heritage.
In terms of historical references, the name Kelan is not prominently featured in ancient texts or religious scriptures. However, it did appear in various medieval chronicles and accounts, often associated with notable figures from Ireland and Scotland.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Kelan was Kelan of Glendalough, an Irish monk who lived in the 6th century. He is revered as a saint in the Catholic Church and is remembered for his ascetic lifestyle and devotion to religious studies.
Another notable figure with the name Kelan was Kelan MacDonald, a Scottish nobleman who lived in the 13th century. He was a prominent member of the Clan Donald and played a significant role in the battles between the Scottish clans and the English during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
In the 15th century, Kelan O'Donnell was a renowned Irish chieftain and leader of the O'Donnell clan. He was known for his military prowess and his efforts to defend his territories against English encroachment.
During the 17th century, Kelan O'Hara was an Irish poet and musician who composed numerous works in the Irish language. His poems and songs were widely celebrated and helped preserve the cultural heritage of Ireland.
In more recent times, Kelan MacInnes was a Scottish actor and playwright who lived from 1908 to 1973. He was renowned for his performances in various stage productions and his contributions to the Scottish literary scene.
While the name Kelan has ancient roots and a rich history, it has remained relatively uncommon throughout the centuries. However, its unique and distinctive sound has continued to captivate those with an appreciation for Celtic and Gaelic heritage.
People
Kelan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kelan 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
Kelan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kelan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,754 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kelan 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 195,413 US residents.
Is Kelan a common name?
We classify Kelan as "Rare". It ranks above 93.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,790 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kelan most popular?
The single biggest year for Kelan was 2007, when 201 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kelan is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kelan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,556 people with the name Kelan, or 0.52 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #9,096 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kelan in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kelan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kelan leans strongly male. 1,469 people counted with this name were male (94.7%), compared with 82 female bearers (5.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kelan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kelan is White at 52.6%. The next largest groups are Black (29.4%) and Two or More Races (6.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kelan most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kelan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.6% (818 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kelan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kelan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kelan in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Kelan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kelan in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kelan can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people have the name Kelan?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Kelan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.