Kelly (given name)
Encyclopedia
Kelly is a given name
in the English language
. The name was originally a masculine name, however today it is mainly born by females, and in consequence Kelly is considered a unisex name
.
Ceallach. The feminine form of the name today is stated to be derived from the Irish surname
Ó Ceallaigh, meaning "descendant of Ceallach". The given name Ceallach is said to mean "bright headed", or possibly "strife"; however it could also be derived from elements meaning "monastery" or "church".
, Kelly, girl's name, was ranked #999 in 1944, then steadily gained popularity through 1977 (#10), before declining (#212 in 2006); Kelly, boy's name, was ranked in the top 600 through 1939, then steadily gained popularity through 1968 (#97), before declining (#884 in 2002).
In the United Kingdom
, it made its way into the top 50 during the 1970s and by 1984 was the 15th most popular female first name. However, 10 years later it had declined to 53rd place and by 1999 had fallen out of the top 100.
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. The name was originally a masculine name, however today it is mainly born by females, and in consequence Kelly is considered a unisex name
Unisex name
A unisex name, also known as an epicene name, is a given name that is often given to either a boy or a girl. Some countries, however, require that a given name be gender-specific or have enough names with male and female versions...
.
Etymology
The masculine name originated as a Anglicised form of the IrishIrish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
Ceallach. The feminine form of the name today is stated to be derived from the Irish surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
Ó Ceallaigh, meaning "descendant of Ceallach". The given name Ceallach is said to mean "bright headed", or possibly "strife"; however it could also be derived from elements meaning "monastery" or "church".
Popularity
According to the U.S. Social Security AdministrationSocial Security Administration
The United States Social Security Administration is an independent agency of the United States federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability, and survivors' benefits...
, Kelly, girl's name, was ranked #999 in 1944, then steadily gained popularity through 1977 (#10), before declining (#212 in 2006); Kelly, boy's name, was ranked in the top 600 through 1939, then steadily gained popularity through 1968 (#97), before declining (#884 in 2002).
In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, it made its way into the top 50 during the 1970s and by 1984 was the 15th most popular female first name. However, 10 years later it had declined to 53rd place and by 1999 had fallen out of the top 100.
Feminine name
- Kelly BrookKelly BrookKelly Brook is an English model, actress, entrepreneur, television presenter and Playboy model.-Early life:...
(born 1979), English model and actress - Kelly ChenKelly ChenKelly Chen is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress. Kelly has also been known as a diva in Asia. She has a great success in Asia Entertainment industry with nearly 20 million record sales of 38 albums...
(born 1973), Chinese singer and actress - Kelly CarlsonKelly CarlsonKelly Lee Carlson is an American actress and model. She is best known for her role as Kimber Henry on Nip/Tuck. In 2001 she was listed on Tear Sheet Magazines 50 Most Beautiful list.-Career:...
(born 1976), American actress notable for her role on Nip/Tuck - Kelly ClarksonKelly ClarksonKelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
(born 1982), American singer/songwriter - Kelly FragaKelly FragaKelly Kolasco Fraga is a female volleyball player who competed for Brazil at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. There she won the bronze medal with the Women's National Team.-References:...
(born 1974), Brazilian volleyball player - Kelly HaxtonKelly HaxtonKelly Haxton is a female football defender, who won the silver medal with the Canadian women's national soccer team at the 2003 Pan American Games....
(born 1982), Canadian football (soccer) defender - Kelly HolmesKelly HolmesDame Kelly Holmes, DBE, MBE is a retired British middle distance athlete. She specialised in the 800 metres and 1500 metres events and won a gold medal for both distances at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens...
(born 1970), British retired athlete - Kelly HuKelly HuKelly Ann Hu is an American actress and former fashion model. She was Miss Teen USA 1985 and Miss Hawaii USA 1993.-Early life:Hu was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the daughter of Juanita, an engineering drafter for Honolulu, and Herbert Hu, a salesman and exotic bird breeder; the two divorced during...
(born 1968), American actress - Kelly KelekidouKelly KelekidouKelly Kelekidou , sometimes referred to as Kel Kel, is a Greek singer. To date, she has released four studio albums and one CD Single which was certified Gold.-Career:...
, Greek singer - Kelly KeyKelly KeyKelly de Almeida Afonso , better known as Kelly Key, is a Brazilian singer.- Biography :Of Portuguese descent, Key released her first, self-titled album in 2001 at the age of 17. Her first single was the song "Escondido" in which she sang the suggestive lyics 'We went out to make out and to make...
(born 1983), Brazilian singer - Kelly KlineKelly KlineKelly Kline is an American pornographic actress. She entered the adult film industry in about 2003 at the age of around 22. Her first video was Strap On Sally 23 for Pleasure Productions, and she had her first sexual experience with a female in that movie. She has since appeared in over 200 movies...
(born 1981), American porn actress - Kelly KulickKelly KulickKelly Kulick is an American professional bowler from Union Township, New Jersey. She has won eight professional women's bowling titles and one PBA Tour title.-Bowling accomplishments:...
(born 1977), American pro bowler - Kelly LlorennaKelly LlorennaKelly Llorenna is an English female dance music and Euro-trance singer, who was raised in Oldham, Greater Manchester.-1992: Debut with N-Trance:...
- Kelly MacDonald (diver)Kelly MacDonald (diver)Kelly MacDonald is a female diver from Canada. She won a bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in the 3m Synchronized event alongside Meaghan Benfeito....
(born 1988), Canadian diver - Kelly MarieKelly MarieKelly Marie is a Scottish disco singer. Her only notable hit was "Feels Like I'm in Love", a #1 hit in the UK in 1980.-Early career:...
(born 1957), Scottish singer - Kelly McCormickKelly McCormickKelly Anne McCormick is a retired female diver from the United States. She twice competed for her native country at the Summer Olympics, winning a silver and a bronze medal in the Women's 3m Springboard event.McCormick also claimed gold in the same event at the 1987 Pan American Games...
(born 1960), American diver - Kelly OsbourneKelly OsbourneKelly Michelle Lee Osbourne is an English media personality, television personality, host, judge, fashion designer, singer, and actress, best known for being the daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne...
(born 1984), daughter of Ozzy Osbourne; co-stars in the reality show The Osbournes, co-host on the show "fashion police". - Kelly PoonKelly PoonKelly Poon Kar Lai is a Singaporean singer who emerged from one of the Chinese singing competition held in Singapore, Project SuperStar.Kelly Poon graduated from Huamin Primary School, Yishun Town Secondary School and Singapore Polytechnic....
, Chinese singer - Kelly PrestonKelly PrestonKelly Preston is an American actress and former model.- Early years :Preston was born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her mother, Linda, was an administrator of a mental health center, and her father, who worked for an agricultural firm, drowned when Preston was three years old...
(born 1962), American actress - Kelly PriceKelly PriceKelly Price is an American R&B and soul singer, formerly on the Def Soul label.-Life and music career:Kelly Cherelle Price was born in Queens, New York. She was first discovered by Mariah Carey in February 1992 and subsequently introduced to Sony Columbia's then CEO Tommy Mottola...
(born 1973), American singer - Kelly RipaKelly RipaKelly Ripa is an American actress and television host. Since February 2001, she has served as the co-host of talk show Live with Regis and Kelly, along with Regis Philbin and now solo host of Live! With Kelly...
(born 1970), American actress and talk show host - Kelly RowlandKelly RowlandKelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
(born 1981), American singer with Destiny's Child - Kelly SmithKelly SmithKelly Jayne Smith, MBE is an English football forward currently playing for Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer and is a member of the England women's national football team.-Youth and university:...
(born 1978), English football (soccer) player - Kelly SothertonKelly SothertonKelly Jade Sotherton is an English heptathlete and 400m sprinter. She was the bronze medallist at the 2004 Summer Olympics and was fourth at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She also was a bronze at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, and was the heptathlon gold medallist at the 2006 Commonwealth...
, British heptathlete - Kelly StefanyshynKelly StefanyshynKelly Stefanyshyn is a retired female backstroke swimmer from Canada, who competed for her native country at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.-References:*...
(born 1982), Canadian swimmer - Kelly van der VeerKelly van der VeerKelly van der Veer is a Dutch television personality, singer and actress. She is regarded the most prominent transsexual person in the Netherlands and rose to fame after competing in Big Brother - The Battle, a Dutch version of the Big Brother-format.-Early life:During her childhood, Van der Veer...
(born 1980), Dutch male-to-female transsexual and TV personality
Masculine name
- Kelly Ogbonmwan (born 1988), Nigerian Ceo, Blue Mountains Engr Coy.
- Kelly BlatzKelly BlatzKelly Steven Blatz is an American actor and singer.Blatz made his acting debut in The Oakley Seven . He had a brief role in the horror film Simon Says and appears in the 2008 remake of Prom Night. Blatz played a role in the independent feature film April Showers...
, American actor and singer - Kelly ChaseKelly ChaseKelly Wayne Chase is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current radio sportscaster.-Playing career:...
, broadcaster; retired hockey player - Kelly GruberKelly GruberKelly Wayne Gruber is a former Major League Baseball third baseman.-Early career:Gruber played baseball at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas where his number was later retired. He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 1st round of the 1980 amateur draft but did not see time with the team...
(born 1963), Major League baseball player (Toronto Blue Jays) - Kelly HolcombKelly HolcombBryan Kelly Holcomb is a former American football quarterback of the National Football League. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 1995...
, NFL Quarterback (Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles) - Kelly HrudeyKelly HrudeyKelly Hrudey is a former NHL ice hockey goaltender and current hockey broadcaster with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. During his NHL career, Hrudey played for the New York Islanders , Los Angeles Kings , and San Jose Sharks .-Playing career:Hrudey played junior hockey for three years with...
(born 1961), NHL goaltender and CBC hockey commentator - Clarence "Kelly" JohnsonClarence JohnsonClarence Leonard "Kelly" Johnson was an aircraft engineer and aeronautical innovator. As a member and first team leader of the Lockheed Skunk Works, Johnson worked for more than four decades and is said to have been an "organizing genius"...
(1910–1990), American aircraft engineer - Kelly JonesKelly JonesKelly Jones is a Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist and the lead singer of the band Stereophonics. Influenced by classic rock bands such as The Who, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and the Sex Pistols, Jones is noted for his strong, gravelly voice, which has been described as "whisky" vocals...
, singer, songwriter and guitarist (Stereophonics) - Kelly MakinKelly MakinKelly Makin is a Canadian television and movie director. He directed some episodes of The Kids in the Hall comedy television series and also directed several episodes of Queer as Folk including that series' last episode...
, a Canadian television and movie director - Kelly McCartyKelly McCartyKelly Deshawn McCarty is a naturalized Russian professional basketball player, originally from the United States . He currently plays with UNICS Kazan of the VTB United League....
(born 1975), American-Russian basketball player - Kelly MonteithKelly MonteithKelly Monteith is an American comedian. He is best known for writing and starring in the BBC comedy show, Kelly Monteith. Discovered in the early 1970s, Monteith performed as a guest comedian on NBC's Tonight and BBC's Des O'Connor Tonight...
, American comedian with shows in the United States and the United Kingdom - Kelly OlynykKelly OlynykKelly Olynyk is a Canadian basketball player, and a member of the Canada national men's basketball team. He is a Sophomore at Gonzaga University, where he plays basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs....
(born 1991), Canadian basketball player - Kelly PavlikKelly PavlikKelly Pavlik is an American professional boxer. He was The Ring, WBC, & WBO middleweight champion from when he beat Jermain Taylor on September 29, 2007 until he lost his titles to Sergio Martinez on April 17, 2010....
, WBO and WBA Middleweight Champion Boxer - Kelly PerdewKelly PerdewKelly Crawford Perdew of Carlsbad, California was the winner of The Apprentice 2.-Before The Apprentice:Perdew was born in Lexington, Kentucky and was raised in Florida and Wyoming...
, winner of The Apprentice 2 - Kelly RenoKelly RenoKelly Reno, born to cattle ranchers in Pueblo, Colorado is a former juvenile actor who was cast in the role of Alec Ramsey, the young boy who is marooned on a deserted island along with a horse, in The Black Stallion at age 13.Reno also appeared in the 1983 film adaptation of The Black Stallion...
(born 1966), juvenile actor - Kelly SlaterKelly SlaterRobert Kelly Slater is an American professional surfer known for his competitive prowess and style. He has been crowned ASP World Champion a record 11 times, including 5 consecutive titles from 1994–98. He is the youngest and the oldest to win the title...
, World Champion surfer - Kelly StinnettKelly StinnettKelly Lee Stinnett is a retired Major League Baseball catcher. He played all or part of 14 seasons in the majors, from until .-High school years:...
, American baseball catcher - Kelly TripuckaKelly TripuckaPeter Kelly Tripucka is a former American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association from 1981 to 1991. During his ten seasons in the league, he played for the Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz, and Charlotte Hornets...
, former NBA player for the Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz, and Charlotte Hornets
Fictional characters with the name
- Private Kelly, the main character in Kelly's HeroesKelly's HeroesKelly's Heroes is an offbeat 1970 comedy/war film about a group of World War II soldiers who go AWOL to rob a bank behind enemy lines. Directed by Brian G...
- Kelly Ashoona, character in Degrassi: The Next Generation
- Kelly Roberts, Barbie's younger sister
- Kelly, a female antagonist on the TeletoonTélétoon (Canadian TV channel)Télétoon is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel that specializes in animation programming. Télétoon is owned by Teletoon Canada Inc; a 50/50 partnership between Astral Media and Corus Entertainment...
Canadian animated sitcom StokedStoked (TV series)Stoked is a Canadian animated TV series produced by Fresh TV Inc. It is produced by Jennifer Pertsch and Tom McGillis and premiered on Teletoon on June 25, 2009. It is currently airing on Teletoon in Canada, and formerly on Cartoon Network in the United States... - Kelly, valley girl drag persona created by Liam Kyle SullivanLiam Kyle SullivanKelly, a cross-dressed Liam, has released an album entitled Shoes digitally through TuneCore and on rare CDs by Susan Walker's label Galleria Records, which consists of tracks recorded by herself, her ex-boyfriend, and her mom. "Shoes" is also the name of Kelly's biggest hit, which won a People's...
first for the video "Shoes" - Kelly, signature of The OnionThe OnionThe Onion is an American news satire organization. It is an entertainment newspaper and a website featuring satirical articles reporting on international, national, and local news, in addition to a non-satirical entertainment section known as The A.V. Club...
's editorial cartoonist Ward SuttonWard SuttonWard Sutton is an American illustrator, cartoonist and writer born in Minneapolis and based in New York City. His comic strip, "Sutton Impact" , was published in The Village Voice from 1995 to 2007.... - Kelly BaileyKelly BaileyKelly Bailey may refer to:* Kelly Bailey * Kelly Bailey...
, played by Lauren SochaLauren SochaLauren Marie Socha is a BAFTA award winning English actress, best known for her starring role in the E4 comedy-drama television series Misfits and a co-starring role in the Channel 4 drama The Unloved. She attended St. George's RC Primary School, Burton College and Saint Benedict School and...
is a Misfits (TV series)Misfits (TV series)Misfits is a British science fiction comedy-drama television series about a group of young offenders forced to work in a community service programme, where they obtain supernatural powers after a strange electrical storm. The first series started broadcasting on 12 November 2009 on E4, and was...
' caracter. - Dr. Kelly Brackett, played by Robert Fuller (actor)Robert Fuller (actor)Robert Fuller is an American former television Western actor and current rancher. In his five decades of television, he's best known for starring roles on the popular 1960s western series Laramie as Jess Harper, and Wagon Train as Cooper Smith, as well as his work for his lead role, Dr...
on the TV series Emergency!Emergency!Emergency! is an American television series that combines the medical drama and action-adventure genres. It was produced by Mark VII Limited and distributed by Universal Studios... - Kelly Bundy, played by Christina ApplegateChristina ApplegateChristina Applegate is an American actress. She is best known for playing Kelly Bundy on the Fox sitcom Married... with Children. Since then, she has established a film and television career, winning a Primetime Emmy and earning Tony and Golden Globe nominations...
on the TV series Married... with Children - Kelly Collins, DCOM in Cadet KellyCadet KellyCadet Kelly is a 2002 Disney Channel Original Movie starring Hilary Duff. The film premiered with 7.8 million viewers. It was Duff's second film where she played the main character, her first being the film Casper Meets Wendy...
- Kelly CramerKelly CramerKelly Cramer is a fictional character on the long-running daytime soap opera One Life to Live, most notably portrayed by Gina Tognoni, who first appeared in the role February 17, 1995 and left on August 24, 2011.-Casting:...
, on the soap opera One Life to Live - Kelly GainesKelly GainesKelly Gaines Boyd is a character on the American television show Cheers, portrayed by Jackie Swanson. Kelly joined Cheers in the middle of the seventh season as Woody Boyd’s love interest. She appeared in 24 episodes....
, played by Jackie Swanson on the U.S. TV series Cheers - Kelly GarrettKelly GarrettKelly Garrett is one of six female fictional private detectives in the 1976–1981 television series Charlie's Angels. She was portrayed by Jaclyn Smith, who also portrayed the character in the 1977 pilot episode of The San Pedro Beach Bums and reprised the role in a cameo in the 2003 film Charlie's...
, played by Jaclyn Smith on the U.S. TV series Charlie's Angels - Kelly KapoorKelly KapoorKelly Rajnigandha Kapoor , is a fictional character from the US television series, The Office. She is played by Mindy Kaling, who is also a writer and producer for the show....
, played by Mindy Kaling on the U.S. version of The Office - Kelly Kelly, stage name of wrestler Barbie Blank
- Kelly Leak, baseball-playing thug in the 1976 film The Bad News Bears
- Kelly Kapowski, played by Tiffani-Amber Thiessen on the U.S. TV series Saved by the BellSaved by the BellSaved by the Bell is an American television sitcom that aired between 1989 and 1993. The series is a retooled version of the 1988 series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was itself later folded into the history of Saved by the Bell...
- Kelly Prescott, "mean girl" in Meg CabotMeg CabotMeg Cabot is anAmerican author of romantic and paranormal fiction for teens and adults and used to write under several pen names, but now writes exclusively under her real name, Meg Cabot...
's The MediatorThe MediatorThe Mediator is a series which contains six novels written by Meg Cabot. The first four novels were originally published under Cabot's pseudonym Jenny Carroll by Simon and Schuster... - Kelly TaylorKelly Taylor (90210)Kelly Taylor, portrayed by Jennie Garth, is a fictional character who was the female lead of Beverly Hills, 90210 for the majority of the show's duration. Initially presented as a "spoiled teen vixen", the role was gradually expanded by producers...
, played by Jennie Garth on the U.S. TV series Beverly Hills, 90210Beverly Hills, 90210Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise... - Kelly TaylorKelly Taylor (EastEnders)Kelly Taylor is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Brooke Kinsella. The character was introduced by executive producer John Yorke, in 2001...
, played by Brooke Kinsella on the British soap opera EastEndersEastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End... - Kelly Wanwright, played by Tanya Chisholm on the Nickelodeon tv series Big Time RushBig Time RushBig Time Rush is a Nickelodeon television series created by Scott Fellows about the Hollywood misadventures of four hockey players from Minnesota—Kendall, Logan, James, and Carlos, after they are selected to form a boy band. The series premiered with an hour-long pilot episode, "Big Time...
- Crazy Kelly, played by Kelly Lim on the Malaysian AECO tv series Crazy Kelly Strikes!