Kelsey

#814 for girls in 2025, 335 births · #6,143 for boys in 2025, 14 births
Given to girls 96.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1992 · 11,713 births
Debut · girls
5 births
In top 100 · girls
15 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
150,416
since 1942

Kelsey over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201998peak #23, 1992girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#814335#6,14314
2024#673430#9,8947
2023#663444#7,28911
2022#632466#4,44223
2021#623477#7,08911
2020#525574#5,69915
2019#470664#5,55516
2018#420740#5,32017
2017#396788#4,93519
2016#383859#7,60510
2015#343955#5,05818
2014#3281,017#4,70220
2013#3041,049#6,60312
2012#2671,214#3,80727
2011#2541,266#3,99425
2010#2331,349#4,84819
2009#2121,521#4,16024
2008#1951,716#3,34433
2007#2011,699#3,02538
2006#1851,898#2,54247
2005#1731,960#2,80338
2004#1482,198#1,74872
2003#1302,569#2,47042
2002#1182,883#2,09251
2001#1003,267#1,65970
2000#883,669#1,76862
1999#724,400#1,32091
1998#565,551#1,23199
1997#575,573#1,19899
1996#367,655#930140
1995#338,184#862157
1994#299,749#827166
1993#2411,380#829161
1992#2311,713#802169
1991#2611,435#747186
1990#329,494#726197
1989#319,256#631250
1988#645,452#649213
1987#674,574#720161
1986#1122,517#769140
1985#1681,699#805121
1984#1771,555#784122
1983#2241,116#813115
1982#310791#865106
1981#434490#890100
1980#601308#92094
1979#737222#92690
1978#887164#94584
1977#959144#92884
1976#1,055116#832101
1975#1,111105#84197
1974#1,23988#95373
1973#1,31277#94173
1972#1,32576#94373
1971#1,45671#96571
1970#1,82848#94072
1969#1,83545#1,28038
1968#2,53824#1,21739
1967#2,07932#1,57324
1966#3,04017#1,61323
1965#3,14916#1,91817
1964#2,82520#1,65523
1963#2,61922#1,90218
1962#2,81419#1,75721
1961#2,95718#2,14815
1960#3,51213#1,77221
1959#3,10415#1,58825
1958#2,37623#2,26513
1957#3,48912#1,83719
1956#3,49312#1,67622
1955#2,83916#2,21913
1954#3,01914#1,76219
1953#2,51618#2,09914
1952#3,55210#2,15313
1951#3,7149#1,83817
1950#3,42310#2,5809
1949#4,6736#1,50124
1948#3,5939#1,70319
1947#4,0078#2,8628
1946#3,9947#1,81316
1945#4,0256#2,00912
1944—#2,08012
1943—#2,18212
1942#4,6225#1,94614
1941—#2,20711
1940—#2,6718
1939—#2,28810
1938—#2,08412
1937—#1,82815
1936—#2,6298
1935—#2,7198
1934—#3,6795
1933—#2,36810
1932—#2,31311
1931—#2,20712
1930—#1,88916
1929—#2,45211
1928—#2,38712
1927—#2,70310
1926—#2,07415
1925—#1,87018
1924—#2,22914
1923—#2,02016
1922—#2,80110
1921—#2,15215
1920—#3,4897
1919—#2,26513
1918—#2,07315
1917—#2,42311
1916—#2,15213
1915—#2,6219
1914—#2,10110
1913—#1,67611
1912—#1,61910
1911——
1910—#1,5895
1909——
1908——
1907——
1906——
1905——
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1900——
1899——
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1892——
1891—#9635
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First appearance
1942

The first year at least five girls were named Kelsey! It came in at #4,622, and was given to 5 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1942–1944, when fewer than 6 girls a year got the name.

Where Kelsey is popular in 1998

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #53 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 185 girlsAKMaine: #51 for girls · 29 births · 1 in 160 girlsMEVermont: #17 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 81 girlsVTNew Hampshire: #43 for girls · 30 births · 1 in 161 girlsNHWashington: #64 for girls · 97 births · 1 in 301 girlsWAIdaho: #46 for girls · 31 births · 1 in 190 girlsIDMontana: #56 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 204 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #75 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 241 girlsNDMinnesota: #63 for girls · 101 births · 1 in 250 girlsMNIllinois: #58 for girls · 236 births · 1 in 298 girlsILWisconsin: #58 for girls · 111 births · 1 in 227 girlsWIMichigan: #49 for girls · 233 births · 1 in 221 girlsMINew York: #74 for girls · 269 births · 1 in 374 girlsNYMassachusetts: #63 for girls · 122 births · 1 in 262 girlsMARhode Island: #40 for girls · 26 births · 1 in 159 girlsRIOregon: #55 for girls · 68 births · 1 in 242 girlsORNevada: #100 for girls · 25 births · 1 in 365 girlsNVWyoming: fewer than 5 girls named Kelsey, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: #39 for girls · 19 births · 1 in 153 girlsSDIowa: #28 for girls · 108 births · 1 in 130 girlsIAIndiana: #39 for girls · 175 births · 1 in 189 girlsINOhio: #48 for girls · 280 births · 1 in 220 girlsOHPennsylvania: #51 for girls · 234 births · 1 in 249 girlsPANew Jersey: #67 for girls · 142 births · 1 in 292 girlsNJConnecticut: #64 for girls · 64 births · 1 in 243 girlsCTCalifornia: #148 for girls · 328 births · 1 in 674 girlsCAUtah: #51 for girls · 71 births · 1 in 233 girlsUTColorado: #89 for girls · 60 births · 1 in 371 girlsCONebraska: #33 for girls · 57 births · 1 in 142 girlsNEMissouri: #42 for girls · 161 births · 1 in 184 girlsMOKentucky: #27 for girls · 163 births · 1 in 125 girlsKYWest Virginia: #35 for girls · 53 births · 1 in 138 girlsWVVirginia: #50 for girls · 147 births · 1 in 231 girlsVAMaryland: #60 for girls · 87 births · 1 in 275 girlsMDDelaware: #37 for girls · 22 births · 1 in 143 girlsDEArizona: #76 for girls · 83 births · 1 in 352 girlsAZNew Mexico: #99 for girls · 23 births · 1 in 368 girlsNMKansas: #36 for girls · 75 births · 1 in 173 girlsKSArkansas: #32 for girls · 85 births · 1 in 140 girlsARTennessee: #32 for girls · 218 births · 1 in 140 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #53 for girls · 162 births · 1 in 260 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #40 for girls · 90 births · 1 in 187 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #124 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 391 girlsDCOklahoma: #33 for girls · 96 births · 1 in 176 girlsOKLouisiana: #35 for girls · 121 births · 1 in 181 girlsLAMississippi: #33 for girls · 72 births · 1 in 169 girlsMSAlabama: #38 for girls · 123 births · 1 in 169 girlsALGeorgia: #46 for girls · 175 births · 1 in 255 girlsGAHawaii: #81 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 271 girlsHITexas: #81 for girls · 378 births · 1 in 379 girlsTXFlorida: #67 for girls · 211 births · 1 in 352 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Vermont#17 · 1 in 81
  2. Kentucky#27 · 1 in 125
  3. Iowa#28 · 1 in 130
  4. Arkansas#32 · 1 in 140
  5. Tennessee#32 · 1 in 140

Best ever in a state: #6 in Montana, 1992.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Vermont#17241 in 81
Kentucky#271631 in 125
Iowa#281081 in 130
Arkansas#32851 in 140
Tennessee#322181 in 140
Mississippi#33721 in 169
Nebraska#33571 in 142
Oklahoma#33961 in 176
Louisiana#351211 in 181
West Virginia#35531 in 138
Kansas#36751 in 173
Delaware#37221 in 143
Alabama#381231 in 169
Indiana#391751 in 189
South Dakota#39191 in 153
Rhode Island#40261 in 159
South Carolina#40901 in 187
Missouri#421611 in 184
New Hampshire#43301 in 161
Georgia#461751 in 255
Idaho#46311 in 190
Ohio#482801 in 220
Michigan#492331 in 221
Virginia#501471 in 231
Maine#51291 in 160
Pennsylvania#512341 in 249
Utah#51711 in 233
Alaska#53141 in 185
North Carolina#531621 in 260
Oregon#55681 in 242
Montana#56141 in 204
Illinois#582361 in 298
Wisconsin#581111 in 227
Maryland#60871 in 275
Massachusetts#631221 in 262
Minnesota#631011 in 250
Connecticut#64641 in 243
Washington#64971 in 301
Florida#672111 in 352
New Jersey#671421 in 292
New York#742691 in 374
North Dakota#75111 in 241
Arizona#76831 in 352
Hawaii#81141 in 271
Texas#813781 in 379
Colorado#89601 in 371
New Mexico#99231 in 368
Nevada#100251 in 365
District of Columbia#12491 in 391
California#1483281 in 674
Wyoming———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Kelsey
Momentum · girls
Falling
  • 141 spots since 2024 (#673 → #814)
  • 289 spots since 2020 (#525 → #814)
  • 471 spots since 2015 (#343 → #814)
  • Biggest jump: 167 spots in 1981 (#601 → #434)
  • Biggest drop: 141 spots in 2025 (#673 → #814)
Rise & fade · girls
50 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1942
  • Peaked 1992 at #23 (11,713 births)
  • Births halved by 1997, 5 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 15 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 15 yrs · run 1987–2001
  • Top 1,000: 49 yrs · run 1977–2025
Share of babies · girls
1 in 157
  • Highest: 1 in 157 girls born in 1992 were named Kelsey (0.64%)
  • Latest: 1 in 4,798 girls born in 2025 (0.02%)
Era · girls
The 1990s
  • 56.6% of all girls named Kelsey (85,134) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1940s41#3,593 (1948)#4,152
1950s139#2,376 (1958)#3,153
1960s226#1,835 (1969)#2,737
1970s1,111#737 (1979)#1,191
1980s27,758#31 (1989)#219
1990s85,134#23 (1992)#39
2000s23,380#88 (2000)#155
2010s9,901#233 (2010)#340
2020s2,726#525 (2020)#655

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Kelsey in 1998

girls
#56
5,551 births · 1 in 318 girls
boys
#1,231
99 births · 1 in 19,307 boys

Top girls' names in 1998

  1. #1Emily26,188
  2. #2Hannah21,376
  3. #3Samantha20,195
  4. #4Sarah19,898
  5. #5Ashley19,875
  6. #6Alexis19,778
  7. #7Taylor18,576
  8. #8Jessica18,239
  9. #9Madison17,787
  10. #10Elizabeth15,193
  11. #56Kelsey5,551

Top boys' names in 1998

  1. #1Michael36,618
  2. #2Jacob36,031
  3. #3Matthew31,146
  4. #4Joshua28,095
  5. #5Christopher27,007
  6. #6Nicholas26,632
  7. #7Brandon23,832
  8. #8Tyler23,712
  9. #9Andrew23,664
  10. #10Austin23,478
  11. #1,231Kelsey99
More about 1998

girls

1,766,949 girls got a published name in 1998; 1 in 318 of them was named Kelsey, which outranked 99.7% of the 16,601 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 11.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kelsey
  1. #53Grace5,724
  2. #54Kimberly5,722
  3. #55Michelle5,562
  4. #56Kelsey5,551
  5. #57Erin5,471
  6. #58Katelyn5,367
  7. #59Melissa5,354
Biggest movers since 1997
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,123Calista#2,820 → #697
  2. ↑ 1,165Ireland#1,983 → #818
  3. ↑ 1,158Abril#2,116 → #958
  4. ↑ 755Mya#993 → #238
  5. ↑ 619Ally#1,036 → #417
Fallers
  1. ↓ 586Yulissa#424 → #1,010
  2. ↓ 462Moesha#943 → #1,405
  3. ↓ 397Yulisa#985 → #1,382
  4. ↓ 376Tonya#905 → #1,281
  5. ↓ 347Xena#765 → #1,112

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,911,366 boys got a published name in 1998; 1 in 19,307 of them was named Kelsey, which outranked 89.1% of the 11,311 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 14.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kelsey
  1. #1,224Lawson100
  2. #1,224Milo100
  3. #1,224Ryker100
  4. #1,231Kelsey99
  5. #1,231Jaquez99
  6. #1,231Kadin99
  7. #1,231Latrell99
  8. #1,237Aditya98
  9. #1,237Ajay98
  10. #1,237Earnest98

Tied with 5 names at #1,231; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1997
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,736Tyrese#2,347 → #611
  2. ↑ 805Zion#1,499 → #694
  3. ↑ 785Mekhi#1,706 → #921
  4. ↑ 743Tyriq#1,519 → #776
  5. ↑ 741Tavian#1,599 → #858
Fallers
  1. ↓ 429Coty#918 → #1,347
  2. ↓ 367Anfernee#838 → #1,205
  3. ↓ 326Jessy#962 → #1,288
  4. ↓ 295Mickey#966 → #1,261
  5. ↓ 280Mikal#1,000 → #1,280

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1998 →