Given name & surname · also Gaelic
Kellen
“a slender, beautiful, and powerful woman”·“one who is slender”·“from the swamp”
Kellen is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “a slender, beautiful, and powerful woman”, “one who is slender”, and “from the swamp”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “a slender, beautiful, and powerful woman”, “one who is slender”, and “from the swamp”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is German.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1954. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kellen through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 18,307
- 17,042 boys · 1,265 girls
- Most popular year
- 2012
- 954 babies
- 2025
- 207
- #1,069 for boys · #16,130 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −31%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 97% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 202 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,069 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 31.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 932 in 2012. It also appeared in 5 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (15). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 15,967 as a first name in 2020; 1,312 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.
Kellen’s family of names
Kellen has a related form in Kelle. Kellen has a related form in Kellan. Kellen has a related form in Kellyn.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Kellen
- Kellen ClemensAmerican football quarterbackborn 1983
- Kellen WinslowAmerican football playerborn 1957
- Kellen DunhamAmerican basketball player (born 1993)
- Kellen GoffAmerican voice actorborn 1995
- Kellen MooreAmerican football player and coach (born 1988)
- Kellen GulleyAmerican soccer playerborn 1994
- Kellen DavisAmerican football playerborn 1985
- Kellen Winslow IIAmerican football player (born 1983)
- Kellen KariukiAccountant, businesswoman and corporate executive in Kenyaborn 1960
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Kellen, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Camden
“from the winding valley”
95% boys · 5% girls
Kendrick
“a royal ruler” · “the champion”
99% boys · 1% girls
Caden
“a battlemaiden” · “spirt of battle •”
99% boys · 1% girls
Ebben
Ebben is a surname from German.
>99% boys
Killian
“a warrior woman; of the church” · “one who is small and fierce”
98% boys · 2% girls
Colin
“high” · “of the victorious people”
>99% boys
Kane
“a warrior woman ready for battle” · “the little warrior”
>99% boys
Carson
“from the swamp” · “the son of a marsh dweller”
96% boys · 4% girls