# Kelsey (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/kelsey/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | English |
| Meaning | “ship” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɛlsi/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Kels |
| Variant spellings | Kielce, Kelsie, Kelcie, Kelcy, Kelsy, Kelse, Kelseigh |
| US babies named this | 155,738 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 5,322 / 150,416 (97% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 7,470, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Old English cēol (“ship”) + ieġ.

## What it means

Kelsey is grouped under ship.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1,266 | 254 |
| 2012 | 1,214 | 267 |
| 2013 | 1,049 | 304 |
| 2014 | 1,017 | 328 |
| 2015 | 955 | 344 |
| 2016 | 859 | 383 |
| 2017 | 788 | 397 |
| 2018 | 740 | 421 |
| 2019 | 664 | 471 |
| 2020 | 574 | 526 |
| 2021 | 477 | 624 |
| 2022 | 466 | 633 |
| 2023 | 444 | 664 |
| 2024 | 430 | 673 |
| 2025 | 335 | 814 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 25 | 4,049 |
| 2012 | 27 | 3,842 |
| 2013 | 12 | 6,831 |
| 2014 | 20 | 4,779 |
| 2015 | 18 | 5,179 |
| 2016 | 10 | 7,894 |
| 2017 | 19 | 5,028 |
| 2018 | 17 | 5,431 |
| 2019 | 16 | 5,694 |
| 2020 | 15 | 5,847 |
| 2021 | 11 | 7,376 |
| 2022 | 23 | 4,508 |
| 2023 | 11 | 7,528 |
| 2024 | 7 | 10,422 |
| 2025 | 14 | 6,286 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 193 | 254 |
| 2012 | 151 | 322 |
| 2013 | 121 | 373 |
| 2014 | 103 | 422 |
| 2015 | 71 | 595 |
| 2016 | 71 | 594 |
| 2017 | 39 | 949 |
| 2018 | 39 | 936 |
| 2019 | 48 | 778 |
| 2020 | 29 | 1,127 |
| 2021 | 22 | 1,402 |
| 2022 | 24 | 1,326 |
| 2023 | 24 | 1,325 |
| 2024 | 19 | 1,603 |
| 2025 | 25 | 1,271 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 23 | 716 |
| 1999 | 33 | 563 |
| 2000 | 15 | 1,002 |
| 2001 | 18 | 910 |
| 2002 | 20 | 869 |
| 2003 | 9 | 1,629 |
| 2004 | 12 | 1,410 |
| 2005 | 11 | 1,617 |
| 2006 | 11 | 1,643 |
| 2007 | 5 | 3,095 |
| 2008 | 4 | 3,687 |
| 2009 | 6 | 2,837 |
| 2010 | 7 | 2,629 |
| 2012 | 4 | 3,987 |
| 2016 | 4 | 4,023 |

## People named Kelsey

- Kelsey Grammer, American actor
- Kelsey Asbille, American actress (born 1991)
- Kelsey-Lee Barber, Australian javelin thrower (1991-)
- Kelsey Plum, American basketball player (born 1994)
- Kelsey Serwa, Canadian freestyle skier
- Kelsey Mitchell, Canadian track cyclist (1993-)
- Kelsey Robinson, American volleyball player and beach volleyball player
- Kelsey Mitchell, American basketball player (born 1995)
- Kelsey Mann, American film director
- Kelsey Nakanelua, American Samoan athletics competitor
- Kelsey Bone, American basketball player (born 1991)
- Kelsey Stewart, American softball player

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.