NameCensus.

UK surname

Kelly

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Ceallaigh," meaning "descendant of Ceallach" (a person's name meaning "bright-headed" or "warlike").

In the 1881 census there were 30,644 people recorded with the Kelly surname, ranking it #104 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 75,958, ranked #54, up from #104 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, London parishes and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Liverpool, Blantyre South and Wheatlands and Cowlairs and Port Dundas.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kelly is 77,416 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 147.9%.

1881 census count

30,644

Ranked #104

Modern count

75,958

2016, ranked #54

Peak year

2010

77,416 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kelly had 30,644 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #104 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 75,958 in 2016, ranked #54.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 37,409 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Kelly surname distribution map

The map shows where the Kelly surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Kelly surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Kelly over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 16,156 #132
1861 historical 17,916 #120
1881 historical 30,644 #104
1891 historical 30,132 #111
1901 historical 37,409 #106
1911 historical 29,423 #132
1997 modern 70,228 #59
1998 modern 72,719 #59
1999 modern 73,486 #58
2000 modern 72,932 #59
2001 modern 71,365 #58
2002 modern 73,178 #58
2003 modern 71,706 #58
2004 modern 72,006 #57
2005 modern 71,441 #54
2006 modern 71,519 #54
2007 modern 72,409 #54
2008 modern 72,957 #54
2009 modern 75,491 #54
2010 modern 77,416 #54
2011 modern 75,912 #55
2012 modern 74,446 #54
2013 modern 75,789 #54
2014 modern 76,603 #54
2015 modern 75,892 #54
2016 modern 75,958 #54

Geography

Back to top

Where Kellys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, London parishes, Edinburgh, Manchester and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Liverpool, Blantyre South and Wheatlands, Cowlairs and Port Dundas and Manchester. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 London parishes London 3
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Liverpool 060 Liverpool
2 Liverpool 048 Liverpool
3 Blantyre South and Wheatlands South Lanarkshire
4 Cowlairs and Port Dundas Glasgow City
5 Manchester 032 Manchester

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Kelly

These lists show first names that appear often with the Kelly surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Kelly

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Kelly, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Kelly surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Kelly household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Kelly is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Kelly is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Kelly falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Kelly is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Kelly, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Kelly

The surname Kelly originates from Ireland and is derived from the Irish Gaelic name O'Ceallaigh, which means "descendant of Ceallach." The name Ceallach itself comes from an old Irish word meaning "bright-headed" or "bright mind." The name can be traced back to the 7th century in Ireland, and it was particularly common in the counties of Galway and Mayo on the west coast of the island.

The earliest recorded mention of the Kelly surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history written in the early 17th century. The annals mention several notable individuals with the name, including Tadhg O'Ceallaigh, who was the Bishop of Clonfert in the 12th century, and Donnchadh O'Ceallaigh, who was a prominent chieftain in Connaught in the 13th century.

As the Kelly family spread throughout Ireland, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Kellie, Kelley, and Callaghan. These variations were often influenced by regional accents and dialects, as well as by the scribes who recorded the names in official documents.

One of the most famous individuals with the Kelly surname is Grace O'Malley, also known as the "Pirate Queen of Connaught." She was born around 1530 and became a powerful figure in Irish maritime history, commanding a fleet of ships and engaging in various military and trading ventures along the Irish coast.

Another notable Kelly is Edward Kelly, who was born in 1555 and was a renowned alchemist and occultist. He was a close associate of the famous English mathematician and occultist John Dee, and together they claimed to have made contact with angelic beings through a series of rituals and divinations.

In the 18th century, George Kelly (1723-1804) was a prominent Irish-American revolutionary and political theorist. He was a member of the Continental Congress during the American Revolutionary War and is best known for his work "The Philadelphia Doctrine," which advocated for the rights of the American colonies against British rule.

Hugh Kelly (1739-1777) was an Irish dramatist and author who wrote several popular plays in the 18th century, including "False Delicacy" and "A Word to the Wise." He was also a prominent figure in the literary circles of London during his time.

Michael Kelly (1762-1826) was an Irish tenor and composer who achieved great success in the opera houses of Europe during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was particularly renowned for his performances in the operas of Mozart and is considered one of the finest tenors of his era.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Kelly families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kelly surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 8,522 Kellys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.24x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 8,522 2.24x
Lanarkshire 3,394 3.28x
Yorkshire 2,458 0.78x
Middlesex 2,377 0.74x
Isle of Man 2,118 35.65x
Durham 1,499 1.57x
Cheshire 894 1.27x
Surrey 834 0.54x
Midlothian 719 1.68x
Northumberland 684 1.44x
Renfrewshire 676 2.73x
Staffordshire 634 0.59x
Devon 584 0.88x
Ayrshire 558 2.33x
Cumberland 501 1.82x
Warwickshire 481 0.60x
Angus 428 1.44x
Kent 344 0.32x
Hampshire 332 0.51x
Derbyshire 273 0.55x
Wigtownshire 265 6.24x
Dunbartonshire 259 3.01x
Stirlingshire 258 2.19x
Cornwall 243 0.67x
Glamorgan 239 0.43x
Gloucestershire 208 0.33x
Essex 193 0.31x
Kirkcudbrightshire 181 3.91x
Monmouthshire 163 0.70x
Aberdeenshire 154 0.52x
West Lothian 151 3.13x
Somerset 148 0.29x
Argyllshire 139 1.56x
Sussex 111 0.21x
Lincolnshire 105 0.21x
Worcestershire 94 0.23x
Denbighshire 93 0.77x
Flintshire 92 1.07x
Channel Islands 81 0.85x
Inverness-shire 79 0.83x
Dumfriesshire 77 1.09x
Fife 75 0.40x
Nottinghamshire 74 0.17x
Wiltshire 70 0.25x
Shropshire 68 0.25x
Royal Navy 64 1.68x
Berkshire 61 0.25x
Perthshire 59 0.41x
East Lothian 55 1.30x
Leicestershire 52 0.15x
Dorset 49 0.23x
Buteshire 39 2.01x
Northamptonshire 39 0.13x
Pembrokeshire 35 0.34x
Berwickshire 29 0.75x
Roxburghshire 28 0.48x
Hertfordshire 27 0.12x
Buckinghamshire 26 0.13x
Caithness 25 0.57x
Peeblesshire 25 1.66x
Westmorland 23 0.33x
Selkirkshire 22 0.76x
Brecknockshire 20 0.31x
Kincardineshire 18 0.46x
Norfolk 18 0.04x
Herefordshire 16 0.12x
Morayshire 15 0.30x
Bedfordshire 14 0.08x
Caernarfonshire 14 0.11x
Anglesey 9 0.16x
Cardiganshire 9 0.12x
Montgomeryshire 9 0.12x
Cambridgeshire 8 0.04x
Carmarthenshire 8 0.06x
Suffolk 8 0.02x
Clackmannanshire 7 0.26x
Ross-shire 7 0.08x
Oxfordshire 6 0.03x
Banffshire 5 0.08x
Radnorshire 5 0.19x
Nairnshire 3 0.31x
Rutland 2 0.09x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.02x
Kinross-shire 1 0.12x
Merionethshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 1,605 Kellys recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.96x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 1,605 6.96x
Govan 823 3.22x
Manchester 774 4.53x
Barony 762 2.91x
Glasgow 760 4.14x
Onchan 569 33.25x
Toxteth Park 430 3.34x
Everton 336 2.78x
Salford 329 2.95x
Leeds 311 1.74x
West Derby 305 2.75x
Birmingham 298 1.11x
Dundee 277 2.50x
Kirkdale 258 4.04x
Birkenhead 249 4.42x
Hulme 243 3.07x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 226 1.31x
Lonan 223 61.97x
Islington London 199 0.64x
Malew 192 36.99x
St Pancras London 177 0.69x
Bootle Cum Linacre 174 5.77x
German 167 51.53x
Chorlton On Medlock 166 2.75x
Preston 164 1.61x
Sheffield 162 1.61x
Oldham 161 1.31x
German Peel 156 45.60x
Gateshead 154 2.16x
Old Monkland 154 3.75x
Blackburn 151 1.49x
Braddan 150 46.23x
Cleator 150 13.08x
Kensington London 138 0.78x
Camberwell 137 0.67x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 131 3.18x
Bradford 128 1.67x
Lambeth 127 0.46x
Barrow In Furness 126 2.44x
Liff Benvie 118 2.62x
East Greenock 113 4.83x
Pendleton In Salford 111 2.45x
Ashton Under Lyne 109 1.31x
Patrick 108 37.30x
Bishopwearmouth 107 1.31x
Warrington 107 2.38x
Portsea 105 0.82x
Aston 104 0.47x
Blantyre 102 9.47x
Abbey 101 2.67x
Stockport 101 2.78x
Dewsbury 100 3.08x
Poplar London 100 1.66x
South Leith 99 2.05x
Bermondsey 98 1.03x
Great Bolton 95 1.89x
West Ham 94 0.67x
Bothwell 93 3.31x
Marown 93 85.78x
Wigan 93 1.75x
Clerkenwell London 92 1.22x
Widnes 91 3.32x
Windle 90 4.21x
Rushen 88 21.90x
St Marylebone London 87 0.51x
Wardleworth 86 3.96x
Wolverhampton 85 1.02x
Gorton 84 2.35x
Heworth 84 4.48x
Walsall Foreign 84 1.51x
Huddersfield 83 1.80x
Mile End Old Town London 83 1.22x
Campbeltown 81 7.54x
Chelsea London 80 0.83x
Chesterfield 80 4.26x
Farnworth 80 3.52x
Halifax 80 1.72x
Maryhill 80 3.95x
Stoke Damerel 80 1.72x
West Greenock 80 1.80x
Battersea 79 0.67x
Kilmarnock 79 2.77x
Little Bolton 79 1.62x
Maughold 78 17.01x
St George In East London 76 2.53x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Kelly surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 2,435
Elizabeth 799
Margaret 773
Catherine 657
Ann 624
Ellen 572
Sarah 551
Bridget 427
Jane 423
Annie 327
Eliza 255
Alice 202
Kate 178
Emily 146
Emma 146
Hannah 141
Maria 134
Anne 120
Rose 115
Isabella 111
Agnes 105
Martha 94
Julia 92
Louisa 79
Eleanor 77
Charlotte 71
Frances 70
Harriet 69
Susan 67
Margt. 61
Ada 60
Florence 59
Margret 57
Caroline 55
Edith 53
Fanny 46
Catharine 43
Elizth. 43
Lucy 43
Clara 40
Esther 40
Winifred 39
Amelia 36
Matilda 36
Amy 32
Grace 27
Rebecca 26
Helen 25
Teresa 25
Norah 24

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Kelly surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 2,333
James 1,297
Thomas 1,229
William 1,152
Patrick 637
Michael 565
Edward 391
Joseph 349
George 283
Robert 269
Henry 266
Charles 220
Peter 215
Richard 178
Martin 133
Daniel 120
Francis 110
Thos. 98
Frederick 94
Alfred 93
Hugh 88
Arthur 78
David 74
Walter 71
Samuel 59
Wm. 58
Albert 57
Timothy 52
Frank 50
Bernard 48
Owen 48
Andrew 45
Philip 44
Jno. 39
Stephen 39
Herbert 37
Matthew 37
Harry 36
Dennis 35
Christopher 34
Edwin 32
Jas. 32
Anthony 31
Benjamin 26
Edmund 26
Alexander 24
Mark 20
Nicholas 20
Denis 19
Ernest 19

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Kelly households.

FAQ

Kelly surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kelly surname in 1881?

In 1881, 30,644 people were recorded with the Kelly surname. That placed it at #104 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kelly surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 75,958 in 2016. That gives Kelly a modern rank of #54.

What does the Kelly surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Ceallaigh," meaning "descendant of Ceallach" (a person's name meaning "bright-headed" or "warlike").

What does the Kelly map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Kelly bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.