Kelly vs James
How Kelly and James compare across 146 years of US Social Security Administration baby-name records — popularity history, peak years, current rank, and which name overtook which.
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Kelly (girls) vs James (boys), from US Social Security Administration national records.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Names appearing fewer than 5 times per year are suppressed by SSA.
Quick Stats
| Metric | Kelly | James |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 1977 — 18,234 girls | 1947 — 94,763 boys |
| Peak rank | #10 | #1 |
| Most recent rank (2025) | #852 (319 births) | #6 (11,945 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 464,087 | 5,250,515 |
| Last 10 years (2016–2025) | 4,069 | 128,527 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, James reached 94,763 US births in 1947 — 76,529 more than Kelly's peak count.
Strongest States — Last 10 Years
States where each name ranked highest, from SSA's state-level dataset. Lower average rank = name appears closer to the top of that state's girls-name list.
Kelly — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | #461 | 49 |
| 2 | New York | #490 | 340 |
| 3 | New Jersey | #510 | 162 |
| 4 | Florida | #556 | 292 |
| 5 | Maryland | #563 | 94 |
James — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | #2 | 1,549 |
| 2 | Alabama | #2 | 2,711 |
| 3 | South Carolina | #3 | 2,285 |
| 4 | Tennessee | #4 | 3,524 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | #4 | 564 |
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Data & methodology
Source: US Social Security Administration national baby names dataset 1880–2025 (CC0 public domain). Names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a given year are suppressed by SSA. State-level coverage runs 1910–2025. Crossover detection compares annual birth counts (not ranks) for each year both names appear. Methodology: see full notes. More comparisons →