Kelsey is a distinctive choice, ranked #1271 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Kelsey in their class.
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UK Rank 2025
#1271
US Rank #814
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About the Name Kelsey
Kelsey has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 476 places in five years. It was most popular in 1998 at #87 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996. It briefly reached the UK top 100, though it typically sits a little further down the charts.
Kelsey is uncommon in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Kelsey in their class.
In the US it ranks even higher at #671, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
Henry Kelsey — Henry Kelsey was an English fur trader, explorer, and sailor who played an important role in establishing the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada.
Frances Oldham Kelsey — Frances Kathleen Oldham Kelsey was a Canadian-American pharmacologist and physician who had a 45-year career with the U.S.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Kelsey
Unlikely. With around 25 UK babies named Kelsey per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Kelsey in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Kelsey is declining: down 144 places since 2020, to #1,271 in 2025. It peaked at #87 in 1998.
Kelsey is more popular in the US (#671) than in the UK (#1603). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Kelsey include: Ian Kelsey, Henry Kelsey and Kelsey Lu. Short summaries for each appear below.
Kelsey ranks #671 in the US top 1,000 (2024). It's recognised in America but considerably more popular in the UK.
25
UK babies named Kelsey (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 144 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Kelsey
Almost certainly the only Kelsey in the class
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UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2025)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Kelsey
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Kelsey Christine Plum is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for the Phantom of Unrivaled.
Kelsey Alaine Merritt is a Filipino-American model best known for being the first Filipino woman to walk in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and to feature in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.