UK girl's name
Kelis
A feminine name of Greek origin possibly meaning "whirlwind" or "curly-haired".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2022. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Kelis is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Kelis popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2022 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3533, with 6 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2004, with 98 births.
This profile covers 451 England and Wales registrations across 20 recorded years from 2000 to 2022. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 6% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 467 living people in the UK are called Kelis. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2023 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Kelis ranked #3533 for girls in England and Wales in 2022, with 6 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2004, when 98 girls were registered as Kelis.
- • Kelis ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #384 in 2006.
- • About 467 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kelis as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3533
2022
Births in 2022
6
Latest year
Peak year
2004
98 births
Estimated living
467
2026
Meaning
What does Kelis mean?
The name Kelis is believed to have originated from the ancient Greek word "kelis," which means "slender" or "graceful." It first appeared in written records during the Hellenistic period, around the 3rd century BC, in various parts of ancient Greece.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Kelis of Ephesus, a renowned philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 2nd century BC. Her works on geometry and number theory were highly influential in the ancient world.
In the 1st century AD, the name Kelis is mentioned in the writings of the Roman historian Pliny the Elder, who referred to a skilled potter from the city of Corinth bearing this name.
During the Byzantine Empire, the name Kelis gained popularity among Greek Christians, as evidenced by several notable figures from this era. Saint Kelis of Constantinople (542-619) was a revered abbess and founder of the Monastery of the Theotokos.
In the Middle Ages, the name Kelis appeared in various European regions, particularly in Italy and France. Kelis de Montfort (1180-1241) was a notable French noblewoman and crusader who participated in the Albigensian Crusade.
Another historical figure bearing the name was Kelis di Firenze (1310-1388), an Italian painter and illuminator from Florence, renowned for her artistic contributions to the Renaissance era.
In more recent times, the name Kelis has been associated with the American singer-songwriter Kelis Rogers (born 1979), who is known for her unique blend of genres and influential style.
Other notable individuals named Kelis include Kelis Kaluniko (born 1967), a Greek Olympic swimmer who competed in the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics, and Kelis Hendawati (born 1985), an Indonesian actress and model.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Kelis over time
The chart below shows babies named Kelis registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2000 to 2022. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Kelis, the clearest high point is 2004. The latest England and Wales figure is 6 births in 2022, compared with 98 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kelis by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kelis was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #3533 | 6 | 1 |
| 2010s | #2886 | 86 | 9 |
| 2000s | #980 | 359 | 10 |
Geography
Where Kelis is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kelis. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Kelis ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #384 in 2006.
Across the UK
Kelis in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#537 in 2006
3 years of NRS records, 13 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#384 in 2006
2 years of NISRA records, 6 total registered
Related
Names similar to Kelis
- Katie 53,185
- Keira 14,411
- Katherine 11,323
- Kayleigh 10,677
- Kate 10,276
- Kelsey 7,224
- Kiera 7,218
- Kayla 6,541
- Kirsty 6,384
- Khadija 5,948
- Kimberley 5,189
- Kaitlyn 5,137
FAQ
Kelis: questions and answers
How popular is the name Kelis in the UK right now?
In 2022, Kelis was ranked #3533 for girls in England and Wales, with 6 births registered.
When was Kelis most popular?
The peak year on record was 2004, with 98 babies registered as Kelis in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Kelis?
A feminine name of Greek origin possibly meaning "whirlwind" or "curly-haired".
How many people are called Kelis in the UK?
A total of 451 babies have been registered as Kelis across the 20 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 13 more in Scotland and 6 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Kelis most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Kelis ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #384 in 2006. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.