The Kelly surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 267,394 people carried this name — #74 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 1,100 people counted. That is up 3% from 260,385 in 2000.
Where the name comes from
The origin of the Kelly surname
A surname from Irish, Anglicised from the Irish Ó Ceallaigh.
Borrowed from Irish Ó Ceallaigh.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Kelly» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 1,242 births for the Kelly name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 55,100 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 1,267 people named Kelly live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
274 people named Kelly live in Switzerland.
They live in 19 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 131 people named Kelly.
Most of them — 96 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 13 départements, most often French Guiana.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Poland’s population register
108 people named Kelly have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 293 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 13 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 64 people named Kelly live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Brussels-Capital.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
374 people named Kelly are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Kelly in American newspapers,
1896–1913.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,946,781 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Kelly,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Clinton Kelly 1808–1875 -
Oliver S. Kelly 1824–1904 · businessperson -
John H. Kelly 1840–1864 · military personnel -
Fanny Kelly 1845–1904 · writer -
King Kelly 1857–1894 · baseball player
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 192 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Kelly.
- Keiser 7,348 · U.S. census
- Keita 1,517 · U.S. census
- Keith 48,487 · U.S. census
- Kelle 319 · U.S. census
- Keller 98,268 · U.S. census
- Kellner 4,329 · U.S. census
- Kelner 540 · U.S. census
- Kelsch 1,996 · U.S. census
- Keltz 621 · U.S. census
- Kemp 46,146 · U.S. census
- Kempa 671 · U.S. census
- Kempen 731 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Kelly is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.