Kelly (surname)

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Kelly
Pronunciation/ˈkɛli/
Language(s)English
Origin
Language(s)Irish, English
Other names
See alsoKelly (given name)
O'Kelly
Map of medieval Gaelic Ireland showing the location of Ulaid circa 900 A.D.

Kelly is a surname in the English language. The name has numerous origins, most notably from the Ui Maine. In some cases it is derived from toponyms located in Ireland and Great Britain, in other cases it is derived from patronyms in the Irish language.

Etymology[]

In many cases Kelly is an Anglicisation of the Irish surname Ó Ceallaigh (IPA [oːˈcal̪ˠiː]), which means "descendant of Ceallach", but it can also mean warrior or fighter. The personal name Ceallach has been thought to mean "bright-headed", but the current understanding is that the name means "frequenting churches", derived from the Irish ceall.[1] In other cases the surname Kelly is an Anglicisation of the Irish Ó Cadhla, which means "descendant of Cadhla".[2] The O'Kelly or Kelly of the Clan Brasil Mac Coolechan originated as a chieftain clan of the Ulaid.[3]

The surname can also be derived from several place names. For example, the surname can be derived from two places in Scotland: Kelly, near Arbroath; and Kellie, in Fife. The surname can also be derived from a place name in England: Kelly, in Devon. This place name is derived from the Cornish celli, meaning "wood" or "grove".[4]

Prevalence[]

The surname is one of the most common in Ireland. It is also very common in Galloway, and the Isle of Man.[4] 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. There are approximately half a million people worldwide who bear this name. 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. In other areas, notably in Isle of Man, Cornwall and probably in Antrim, the name Kelly arose from Celli, meaning man of the woods.[5]

People with the surname[]

A–I[]

J–M[]

  • Jack Kelly (actor) (1927–1992), American actor
  • Jackie Kelly (born 1964), Australian politician
  • James Kelly (basketball) (born 1993), American basketball player in the Israel Basketball Premier League
  • James Kelly (Irish Army officer) (1929–2003), Irish army officer
  • James Kelly (U.S. representative) (1760–1819), U.S. politician
  • James A. Kelly (born 1936), U.S. politician
  • James Butler Knill Kelly (1832–1907), Scottish-born Canadian Anglican bishop, later Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church
  • James K. Kelly (1819–1903), American senator
  • James M. Kelly (astronaut) (born 1964), American astronaut
  • James M. Kelly (Maryland politician) (born 1960), American
  • James Patrick Kelly (born 1951), American science fiction author
  • James Plunkett Kelly (1920–2003), Irish writer, author of Strumpet City
  • Jane Louise Kelly, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
  • Janis Kelly (born 1971), Canadian volleyball player
  • Janis Kelly (soprano), Scottish operatic soprano
  • Jean-Baptiste Kelly (1783–1854), Canadian vicar-general
  • Jean Louisa Kelly (born 1972), American actress
  • Jeremiah Kelly (1900–1962), Scottish footballer
  • Jermaine Kelly (born 1995), American football player
  • Jill Kelly (actress) (born 1971), American pornographic actress
  • Jim "Spider" Kelly (1912–?), Northern Irish boxer of the 1920s, '30s and '40s
  • Jim Kelly (born 1960), American football quarterback
  • Jimmy Kelly (American football), NFL player
  • Jo Ann Kelly (1944–1990), English blues singer and guitarist
  • Joanne Kelly (born 1980), Canadian actress
  • Joe Kelly (disambiguation), several people
  • John Kelly (architect) (1840–1904)
  • John Kelly (academic) (born 1955), Vice President Clemson University and President Florida Atlantic University
  • John Kelly (running back) (born 1996), American football player
  • John Robert Kelly (1849–1919), politician in South Australia, farmer in SA then Queensland.
  • Joe Kelly (racing driver), Formula 1 driver in the 1950 & 1951 British Grand Prix
  • John B. Kelly Sr., Olympic medaling rower; father of Grace Kelly and John B. Kelly Jr.
  • John B. Kelly Jr., aka Jack Kelly, Olympic medaling rower, politician, president of the US Olympic Committee
  • John F. Kelly (born 1950), U.S. Marine Corps general, Trump administration chief of staff
  • John J. Kelly, Medal of Honor recipient
  • John Larry Kelly Jr., Bell Labs scientist who formulated the Kelly criterion
  • John Melville Kelly (1877–1962), American artist
  • John Norman Davidson Kelly (1909–1997), theologian and principal of St Edmund Hall, Oxford University
  • Johnny Kelly (born 1968), American musician
  • Joseph Kelly (disambiguation), several people
  • Kameron Kelly (born 1996), American football player
  • Karen Kelly Irish camogie player
  • Kate Kelly (disambiguation)
  • Katherine Kelly (actress), English actress, best known as Becky McDonald in Coronation Street
  • Kathy Kelly, pacifist
  • Kelly Kelly, ring name of American professional wrestler Barbara Blank (born 1987)
  • Ken Kelly (disambiguation)
  • Kevin Kelly (editor), Executive editor of Wired
  • Kevin T. Kelly (born 1960), American Postmodern Pop Artist
  • Kieran Kelly (disambiguation)
  • King Kelly (1857–1894), American baseball player
  • Klesie Kelly, American soprano
  • Laura Kelly (born 1950), American politician
  • Lee Charles Kelley, American dog trainer and mystery novelist
  • Leonard "Red" Kelly (1927–2019), Canadian hockey player and politician
  • Linda L. Kelly (born 1949), Attorney General of Pennsylvania
  • Linda Kelly (author) (1936–2019), English historian
  • Lisa Kelly (born 1977), Irish singer (Celtic Woman soloist)
  • Lisa Kelly (trucker), television personality
  • Lisa Robin Kelly (1975–2013), American actress
  • Lorraine Kelly, Scottish television presenter
  • Luke Kelly (1940–1984), Irish singer and folk musician
  • Luke Kelly (rugby league) (born 1989), Australian rugby league player
  • Lynne Kelly (science writer) (born 1951), Australian writer
  • Maeve Kelly (born 1930), Irish writer
  • Manus Kelly, Irish businessman and rally driver
  • Mark Kelly (disambiguation), several people
  • Martin Kelly (disambiguation), several people
  • Mary Kelly (artist) (born 1941), American artist and writer
  • Mary Jane Kelly (c. 1863 – 1888), British prostitute and victim of Jack the Ripper
  • Matthew Kelly (born 1950), British television presenter
  • Matthew Kelly (musician), American rock musician
  • Megyn Kelly (born 1970), American newscaster
  • Melissa J. Kelly (born 1962), Maryland (USA) politician
  • Mervin Kelly (1894–1971), American physicist
  • Michael Kelly (disambiguation)
  • Mike Kelly (journalist), contemporary American journalist
  • Mike Kelly (born 1942), English football goalkeeper and goalkeeping coach
  • Mike Kelly (outfielder) (born 1970), baseball outfielder
  • Mike Kelly (Australian politician), contemporary Australian politician
  • Minka Kelly, American actress
  • Moira Kelly, American actress

N–Z[]

O'Kelly[]

Kelley[]

  • Abby Kelley (1811–1887), Quaker abolitionist and social reformer; mentor of Susan B. Anthony
  • Alfred Kelley (1789–1859), American lawyer, canal builder, railroad magnate, and legislator
  • Alton Kelley an American artist
  • Ann Kelley, British writer
  • Ann E. Kelley, American neurosurgeon (1954–2007), American neuroscientist
  • Augustine B. Kelley (1883–1957), US Congressman from Pennsylvania, grandfather of Sheila Kelly
  • Brian Kelley (disambiguation), several people
  • Charles Kelley, musician
  • Clarence M. Kelley (1911–1977)
  • David Kelley (born 1949), American objectivist philosopher
  • David E. Kelley (born 1956), American television writer and producer
  • Dean M. Kelley (1927–1977), American author and religious freedom advocate
  • DeForest Kelley (1920–1999), actor, famous for Star Trek
  • Devin Kelley (born 1986), American actress
  • Douglas Kelley (1912–1958), American psychiatrist at the Nuremberg War Trials
  • Edward Kelley (1555–1597), alchemist and spirit medium, possible creator of Enochian
  • Florence Kelley (1859–1932), social/consumer safety/civil rights activist
  • Francis Kelley (1870–1948), American Roman Catholic Bishop
  • Geoffrey Kelley (born 1955), Canadian politician
  • Harold Kelley, psychologist
  • Harold Kelley (rugby league), Australian rugby league footballer
  • Homer Kelley (1907–1983), American golf instructor
  • Honora Kelley (1857–1938), American serial killer
  • Horace Kelley (1819–1890), American businessman and co-founder of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  • Ike Kelley (born 1944), American football player
  • Jack Kelley (journalist), disgraced American journalist
  • Jacquelyn Kelley (1926–1988), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
  • Jill Kelley (born 1975), American socialite and volunteer military liaison; connected with 2012 scandals involving Generals David Petraeus and John R. Allen, as well as the FBI
  • Joseph James Kelley (1871–1943), American baseball player
  • John L. Kelley (1916–1999), mathematician
  • Johnny Kelley (1907–2004), American long-distance runner
  • Josh Kelley, singer/songwriter
  • Joshua Kelley (born 1997), American football player
  • Ken Kelley (American football) (born 1960), American football player
  • Ken Kelley (journalist) (1949–2008), American journalist and publisher
  • Kevin Kelley (boxer)
  • Kevin Daniel Kelley, American drummer with The Byrds
  • Kitty Kelley (born 1942), American journalist and author
  • Lee Charles Kelley (born 1951), American mystery novelist and dog trainer
  • Liam Kelley (historian) (born 1966), American historian specialised in Vietnam
  • Mike Kelley (artist) (1954–2012), American artist
  • Mike Kelley (baseball) (1875–1955), American baseball player and manager in the minor leagues
  • Mike Kelley (American football), American football quarterback for San Diego Chargers
  • Mikey Kelley (born 1973), American voice actor
  • Oliver Hudson Kelley (1826–1913)
  • Paul X. Kelley (1928–2019), 28th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps
  • Paula Kelley (born 1970), American indie singer-songwriter
  • Peter Kelley (born 1974), American weightlifter
  • Robert Kelley (American football) (born 1992), American football running back
  • Sheila Kelley (American actress), actress, founder of S-Factor, granddaughter of senator Augustine B. Kelley
  • Thomas P. Kelley (1905–1982), Canadian author
  • Vince Kelley (born 1962), American/Australian basketball player
  • William Kelley (disambiguation), several people
    • William "Pig-Iron" Kelley (1814–1890), Quaker abolitionist, US Congressman from Pennsylvania

As first name[]

References[]

  1. ^ Learn about the family history of your surname, Ancestry.com, retrieved 17 December 2010, which cited: Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4, for the surnames "Kelly".
  2. ^ Ó Cadhla, Library Ireland (www.libraryireland.com), retrieved 15 December 2010 which is a transcription of: Woulfe, Patrick (1923), Irish Names and Surnames
  3. ^ John O'Hart, Irish Pedigrees; or, The Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation, 5th edition, in two volumes, originally published in Dublin in 1892, reprinted, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976, Vol. 1, p. 820
  4. ^ a b Reaney, Percy Hilde; Wilson, Richard Middlewood (2006), A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed.), London: Routledge, p. 1820, ISBN 0-203-99355-1.
  5. ^ "Failte – Hi – Welcome". www.kellyclanireland.com. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
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