Given name & surname
Kelby
“from the waters”·“from the farm near the spring”
Kelby is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “from the waters” and “from the farm near the spring”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “from the waters” and “from the farm near the spring”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
Kelby comes from Old English, and ultimately from Old Norse.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
From Old English ċild (“child”), from Old Norse býr (“settlement”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1948. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kelby through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5,582
- 4,019 boys · 1,563 girls
- Most popular year
- 1991
- 277 babies
- 2025
- 32
- #5,313 for boys · #7,682 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −28%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 60% boys.
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 18 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 5,313 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 28.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 187 in 1991. It also appeared in 14 birth records for girls in 2025. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,706 as a first name in 2020; 131 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Kelby’s family of names
Kelby has a related form in Kelda. Kelby has a related form in Kelbi. Kelby has a related form in Kelbie.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Kelbievariant
- Kelbivariant
- Kelbevariant
- Keldavariant
- Kellbylikely variant
- Kelbeavariant
- Kelbeevariant
- Kelbeyvariant
Show 1 moreShow fewer
People named Kelby
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Kelby, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Keelin
“a lively and bright-headed woman” · “a slender and beautiful woman”
56% boys · 44% girls
Kasey
“a vigilant woman” · “vigilant, wakeful”
44% boys · 56% girls
Kacey
“a vigilant man; one who is alert”
42% boys · 58% girls
Reilly
“an outgoing man”
46% boys · 54% girls
Casey
“vigilant, wakeful” · “a vigilant woman”
74% boys · 26% girls
Kelley
“a warrior” · “one who defends”
41% boys · 59% girls
Kiernan
“having dark features; the little dark one”
69% boys · 31% girls
Devine
“resembling an ox” · “of the divine”
50% boys · 50% girls