Keep in mind that many names may have different meanings in other countries and languages, so be careful that the name that you choose doesn’t mean something bad or unpleasant. In 1840 there were 202 Kelley families living in Massachusetts. The name may also mean "bright-headed." Massachusetts had the highest population of Kelley families in 1840. This personal name may be derived from the word "ceallach," which means "strife." It is of Irish and Gaelic origin, and the meaning of Kelly is " strife, war". Kelley Name Meaning.


Ontario had the highest population of Kelley families in 1911. The most Kelley families were found in the USA in 1880.
These names denote descendants of Ceallach. The Kelley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The meaning of Kelley is “War; strife; bright-headed, Warrior or Warriorwoman”. As such, Kelly is historically a male-only name but has predominantly been used as a feminine given name since the 1960s, though with a significant minority usage as a masculine name, especially within Celtic families. Most commonly it loosely means "descendant of war," from the ancient Irish name "O'Ceallaigh." In American Baby Names the meaning of the name Kelley is: Lively; aggressive.

It is also very common in Galloway, and the Isle of Man. This was about 14% of all the recorded Kelley's in the USA.

The name O'Kelly did not spring from a single source, but arose independently in several areas in Ireland, also in Scotland and the Isle of Man and in England. The Kelley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. When including all of its variations, the name O'Kelly, Kelly, Kelley, Kellie and the Gaelic form O'Ceallaigh, makes it the most prevalent surname in Ireland.

The Gaelic prefix "O" indicates "male descendant of", plus the personal byname "Ceallach" meaning "strife" or "contention." Search comprehensively and find the name meaning of Kelley and its name origin or of any other name … There are approximately half a million people worldwide who bear this name. In other ar… Kelly ▼ as a girls' name (also used less regularly as boys' name Kelly) is pronounced KEL-ee. Originally an anglicized form of the ancient Irish Gaelic name Ceallach, possibly meaning "strife", "bright-headed", or "church, monastery". The Kelly surname, along with common variants Kelley and Kellie, has a number of possible origins. This was about 47% of all the recorded Kelley's in Canada.

Kelly /ˈkɛli/ is an English-language unisex given name, derived from the Irish surname Kelly. The surname is one of the most common in Ireland. The most Kelley families were found in the USA in 1880. Transferred use of the surname. During the peak of the name's popularity in the United States during the 1960s to 1970s, feminine usage was about four to five times as frequent as masculine usage. The Irish name Kelley has a long Gaelic heritage to its credit. The original Gaelic form of the name Kelley is O Ceallaigh or Mac Ceallaigh. From A … Origin of the name Kelly: Transferred use of the Irish surname meaning “war, strife” or the transferred use of English place-names derived from the Cornish celli (wood, grove). In 1911 there were 868 Kelley families living in Ontario.