2000
#69
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 260,385
First available Census row
Per 100,000 96.52
Common Last name
Kelly
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Ceallaigh," meaning "descendant of Ceallach" (a person's name meaning "bright-headed" or "warlike").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 293,007 Americans carry the last name Kelly. That puts it at #80 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 85.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,170 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kelly surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kelly with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
293K
1 in 1,170
Census rank
#80
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
85.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
256K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 255,516 bearers of the surname Kelly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 85.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 80th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelly, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kelly
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelly, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kelly bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Kelly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.6% · 193,262
- Black or African American15.8% · 40,281
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 9,494
- Two or more races3.6% · 9,220
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1,952
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1,307
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kelly
Kelly appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#74
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 267,394
+7,009 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 90.65
Rank movement Down 5 places
2020
#80
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 255,516
-11,878 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 85.49
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #69 | 260,385 | 96.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #74 | 267,394 | 90.65 | +7,009 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 5 places |
| 2020 | #80 | 255,516 | 85.49 | -11,878 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 6 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Kelly surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #74 | #80 | -8.1% |
| Count | 267,394 | 255,516 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 90.65 | 85.49 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kelly bearers went from 267,394 to 255,516 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #74 to #80.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kelly
FAQ
Kelly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kelly?
Name Census estimates that about 293,007 living Americans carry the surname Kelly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,170 residents.
How common is Kelly?
Kelly ranks #80 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 85.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 85 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 255,516 people with the surname Kelly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (293,007), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 85.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 85.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 85 of them to have the surname Kelly.
Has Kelly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kelly went from 267,394 recorded bearers to 255,516. That is a decrease of 11,878 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #74 to #80.
What does the Census say about the background of Kelly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelly, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kelly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.6% (193,262 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kelly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.6%), Black (15.8%), Hispanic (3.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Kelly (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Kelly mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Ceallaigh," meaning "descendant of Ceallach" (a person's name meaning "bright-headed" or "warlike"). The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Kelly (85.49 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Kelly?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Kelly at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.