Given name & surname
Kelsey
“from the island of ships; of the ship's victory”
Kelsey is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the island of ships; of the ship's victory.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the island of ships; of the ship's victory.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Kelsey through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 155,738
- 5,322 boys · 150,416 girls
- Most popular year
- 1992
- 11,882 babies
- 2025
- 349
- #814 for girls · #6,286 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −40%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 2% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 335 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 814 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 40.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 11,713 in 1992. It also appeared in 14 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, California and Texas shared the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (34 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 138,745 as a first name in 2020; 13,536 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.
Kelsey’s family of names
In English usage, Kelsey has a diminutive in KELS. In English usage, Kelsey has a related form in Kelsie. Kelsey has a related form in Kelsie.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 17
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Kelsey
- Kelsey GrammerAmerican actorborn 1955
- Kelsey AsbilleAmerican actress (born 1991)
- Kelsey-Lee BarberAustralian javelin thrower (1991-)
- Kelsey PlumAmerican basketball player (born 1994)
- Kelsey SerwaCanadian freestyle skierborn 1989
- Kelsey MitchellCanadian track cyclist (1993-)
- Kelsey RobinsonAmerican volleyball player and beach volleyball playerborn 1992
- Kelsey BevanNew Zealand rowerborn 1990
- Kelsey MitchellAmerican basketball player (born 1995)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Kelsey, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Courtney
“a courteous woman; courtly” · “a courteous man; courtly”
26% boys · 74% girls
Kendra
“having royal power; from the high hill” · “a royal ruler”
>99% girls
Hayley
“from the field of hay”
>99% girls
Whitley
“from the white meadow”
15% boys · 85% girls
Haley
“from the field of hay”
>99% girls
Whitney
“from the white island”
4% boys · 96% girls
Chelsea
“from the landing place for chalk”
>99% girls
Kassandra
“an unheeded prophetess”
>99% girls