The name Kelsey is a boy's name of English origin meaning "Cenel's island".

Names that Peaked in 1989

English Names

English Names for Boys

6 Letter Boy Names

UK Baby Names

UK Boy Names

Names Ending in Y for Boys

Names That Mean Island

Two Syllable Names for Boys

Names that end in y

English Names that Start With K

Unisex Names That Switched From Boy to Girl

Kelsey (ex-Frasier) Grammer is a famous male bearer, although most modern Kelseys are female (in the US at least). It derives from several English place names, possibly meaning "Cenel's island", from the Old English name Cenel "fierce".

Dad Names

Kelsey

English

The name Kelsey peaked for boys at #631 in 1989. The name is most popular in Georgia. Kelsey is also used for girls, ranking #814 in 2025.

The name Kelsey is a girl's name of English origin meaning "Cenel's island".

Names that Peaked in 1992

English Names for Girls

6 Letter Girl Names

UK Girl Names

Names Ending in Y for Girls

Two Syllable Names for Girls

Girl Dog Names That Start With K

Dog Names That Start With K

Yesterday's hottie, today's mom name. Kelsey derives from several English place names and may mean "Cenel's island", from the Old English name Cenel "fierce".
</br></br>
Kelsey entered the Top 1000 in the late 70s and peaked in the early 90s. Though it's been on a long downward slide since then, it still ranks in the Top 1000, probably as the longtime favorite name of a lot of today's new moms. Though far from stylish, Kelsey has a sleek-but-warm appeal.

Unique High-Energy Baby Names

Unisex Names that were traditionally Boy Names

Top 1990s Baby Names  

Toddlers & Tiaras Baby Names

Mom Names

Millennial Names

Names With Lots of Spellings

Dog Names

The name Kelsey is currently ranked #814 in U.S. births. and peaked for girls at #23 in 1992. The name is most popular in Mississippi, New Hampshire, and Delaware. Kelsey is occasionally used for boys in 2025.

Year	US rank	Births	Per million
2014	#4,779	20	10.4
2015	—	0	0
2016	—	0	0
2017	—	0	0
2018	—	0	0
2019	—	0	0
2020	—	0	0
2021	—	0	0
2022	#4,506	23	13.2
2023	—	0	0
2024	—	0	0
2025	—	0	0

Kelsey

About Kelsey

Popularity & trends

Famous Kelseys

Kelsey in pop culture

Kelsey in blog posts

Kelsey on more lists

Advanced Search

Save Kelsey