surnames.ie

Irish surname · 2nd most common in 1911

Kelly

Also spelt O'Kelly, Kelley

Kelly comes mainly from the Irish Ó Ceallaigh, 'descendant of Ceallach'. Many unrelated families bore it, the best known being the O'Kellys who ruled Uí Maine in Galway and Roscommon. In some areas Kelly also replaced other Irish names, such as Ó Caollaidhe and Ó Cadhla.

Irish Ó CeallaighIrish Mac CeallaighIrish Ó CaollaidheIrish Ó CadhlaIrish Mac Giolla Cheallaigh
1901 census
47,253
#2 · 107 per 10,000
1911 census
46,474
#2 · 106 per 10,000
1926 census
38,144
#2 · 129 per 10,000
Most numerous
Dublin
Highest share: Roscommon

Language & meaning

Meaning & Irish forms

Gaelic Gaelic Irish: at least nine separate Ó Ceallaigh families, plus several other Irish surnames that were anglicised Kelly.[1][2]

Ó Ceallaigh
“descendant of Ceallach”[1][3]
The main source of Kelly and O'Kelly. Woulfe lists Kelley as another anglicised form.
Mac Ceallaigh
“son of Ceallach”[4][3]
A separate surname borne by families in Galway and Leitrim, and by the Kellys of the Isle of Man.
Ó Caollaidhe
“descendant of Caollaidhe”[5]
A different name, usually anglicised Kealy or Queally, but Woulfe says it had become largely hidden under Kelly by his time.
Ó Cadhla
“descendant of Cadhla”[6]
Usually Kiely or Kealy in English; Woulfe notes Kelly as an occasional rendering.
Mac Giolla Cheallaigh
“son of the servant of (St) Ceallach”[7]
Usually Kilkelly or Gilkelly, sometimes shortened to Kelly.

The name is built on the personal name Ceallach, usually explained as “uncertain: Woulfe gives 'war, contention'; modern scholarship cited by Wikipedia links it to Irish ceall, 'church', in the sense of one who frequents churches”. An older suggestion, 'bright-headed', is now generally set aside. The sources disagree, so no single meaning should be treated as settled.[1][2]

Pronunciation

Kelly: KEL-ee

Ó Ceallaigh: uh KYAL-ee (Ulster) /aˈcal̪ˠi/[8]

Place

Where the Kellys lived

How common the name was in each county, as a share of the population, in the three surviving full censuses of Ireland. Use the buttons to compare years.

Donegal: 116.6 per 10,000 (1,966 people) Waterford: 70.9 per 10,000 (584 people) Dublin: 144.4 per 10,000 (6,934 people) Kilkenny: 144.9 per 10,000 (1,088 people) Carlow: 206.4 per 10,000 (750 people) Limerick: 90.8 per 10,000 (1,302 people) Louth: 111 per 10,000 (699 people) Tipperary: 77.2 per 10,000 (1,178 people) Roscommon: 288.2 per 10,000 (2,708 people) Meath: 99.7 per 10,000 (650 people) Wicklow: 169.8 per 10,000 (1,033 people) Cavan: 42.9 per 10,000 (392 people) Cork: 47.4 per 10,000 (1,865 people) Clare: 141.8 per 10,000 (1,481 people) Galway: 211.5 per 10,000 (3,857 people) Mayo: 140.3 per 10,000 (2,697 people) Sligo: 112.2 per 10,000 (888 people) Leitrim: 138.1 per 10,000 (871 people) Offaly: 191.6 per 10,000 (1,091 people) Laois: 162.8 per 10,000 (891 people) Kildare: 227.9 per 10,000 (1,524 people) Kerry: 62.7 per 10,000 (1,002 people) Monaghan: 99 per 10,000 (708 people) Wexford: 109.5 per 10,000 (1,121 people) Longford: 147 per 10,000 (644 people) Westmeath: 134.6 per 10,000 (810 people) Tyrone: 110.5 per 10,000 (1,578 people) Antrim: 42.2 per 10,000 (2,016 people) Armagh: 74.9 per 10,000 (896 people) Fermanagh: 39.9 per 10,000 (242 people) Londonderry: 99.5 per 10,000 (1,390 people) Down: 52.9 per 10,000 (1,618 people)
fewerup to 300 per 10,000

Share of each county's census population. 1926 covers the 26 counties of the Irish Free State only.

Highest concentration · 1911

Roscommon

288 per 10,000

2,708 Kellys · 2.72× the national share

Highest share, 1911

  1. Roscommon 288
  2. Kildare 228
  3. Galway 212
  4. Carlow 206
  5. Offaly 192
  6. Wicklow 170
  7. Laois 163
  8. Longford 147

Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.

County figures as a table
County190119111926Per 10k 1901Per 10k 1911Per 10k 1926
Antrim1,9202,016—4242—
Armagh923896—7475—
Carlow758750756204206220
Cavan409392395424348
Clare1,6541,4811,400147142147
Cork1,8881,8651,971474754
Donegal2,0331,9661,852117117121
Down1,5941,618—5553—
Dublin6,1546,9347,600140144152
Fermanagh280242—4340—
Galway4,1863,8573,694217212219
Kerry1,0201,0021,001626367
Kildare1,5101,5241,475247228255
Kilkenny9651,088982128145139
Laois893891905156163176
Leitrim952871758137138134
Limerick1,3171,3021,332909196
Londonderry1,4331,390—99100—
Longford638644575137147145
Louth758699626116111100
Mayo2,8702,6972,372145140137
Meath74165062010510099
Monaghan79270869510699107
Offaly1,1521,0911,102191192210
Roscommon3,0192,7082,444300288293
Sligo879888920109112129
Tipperary1,1851,1781,210747786
Tyrone1,6781,578—111111—
Waterford598584584687175
Westmeath889810813143135144
Wexford1,1591,1211,151111110121
Wicklow1,0061,033911168170160

Local strongholds in 1911

District Electoral Divisions (300+ residents) where Kellys made up the largest share of the population. In Garryduff, Co. Limerick, about one resident in 6 was a Kelly.

DEDCountyKellysShare
GarryduffLimerick54 16.2%
DysartRoscommon93 16.1%
Bancran GlebeLondonderry202 15.6%
LoughmacroryTyrone112 13.3%
KilcarRoscommon51 12.2%
BallydanganRoscommon100 11.9%
Toberpatrick EastSligo43 11.5%
ClontuskertGalway58 11.3%

Origins

Septs & territories

Many Irish surnames were adopted independently by unrelated families. These are the distinct Kelly lineages described in the sources.

A surname can point you towards a place. On its own, it cannot establish a pedigree.

Ó Ceallaigh of Uí Maine

Uí Maine · Galway, Roscommon

A branch of the Oirghialla and one of the most powerful families in Connacht, ruling a large territory in Galway and Roscommon until the reign of Elizabeth I. Their first chief to bear the surname, Tadhg Mór, fell at Clontarf in 1014. Their territory covered much of what is now north, east and south Galway and south and central Roscommon.[1][9][10]

Ó Ceallaigh of Breagh

Brega (much of Meath and north County Dublin) · Meath, Dublin

A branch of the southern Uí Néill who were lords of Breagh until the Anglo-Norman invasion, after which they lost their lands and scattered. Woulfe gives 1292 as the death of Conghalach Ó Ceallaigh, the final O'Kelly to hold the lordship.[1]

Ó Ceallaigh of Cinel Eachach

barony of Loughinsholin · Derry

A family seated in Loughinsholin in south County Derry. Woulfe notes that the name was still common there in his day.[1]

Ó Ceallaigh of Leighe (Lea)

Leighe, now Lea · Laois

One of three distinct O'Kelly families Woulfe places in Leix (Laois). He records only their territory.[1]

Ó Ceallaigh of Magh Druchtain

Magh Druchtain · Laois

A second Leix family of the name, identified by Woulfe by its territory alone.[1]

Ó Ceallaigh of Gallen

Gallen · Laois

The third of the Leix O'Kelly families listed by Woulfe.[1]

Ó Ceallaigh of Uí Teigh

Uí Teigh · Wicklow

A family in the north of the present County Wicklow, according to Woulfe.[1]

Ó Ceallaigh of Ard Ó gCeallaigh

parish of Templeboy · Sligo

A family whose territory, Ard Ó gCeallaigh, lay in Templeboy parish in County Sligo.[1]

Ó Ceallaigh of Corca Laoighdhe

Corca Laoighdhe · Cork

A family in the south-west of County Cork, within the old territory of Corca Laoighdhe.[1]

Mac Ceallaigh of Galway and Leitrim

Galway, Leitrim

Woulfe records a Mac Ceallaigh family in Galway of the same stock as the O'Maddens, and another in Leitrim. He adds that other Mac Ceallaigh families can no longer be told apart from the O'Kellys, and that the Manx Kellys also bear this name.[4]

Ó Caollaidhe

Uí Bearchon (barony of Ida); Crioch O mBuidhe (barony of Ballyadams); Aolmhagh · Kilkenny, Laois, Tipperary

Three families of a different name, chiefs in Kilkenny, Leix and Tipperary. Woulfe says the name had become almost everywhere disguised as Kelly, and was the ordinary Irish for Kelly in west Limerick and Kerry.[5]

Ó Cadhla

Connemara; Tuath Luimnigh near Limerick city · Galway, Limerick

Two families, one formerly chiefs of Connemara and one in Thomond near Limerick. Their name is usually Kiely or Kealy, with Kelly an occasional form.[6]

Mac Giolla Cheallaigh

Cloghballymore, parish of Killeenavarra · Galway, Mayo

A family of the Uí Fiachrach Aidhne, of the same stock as the O'Clerys, whose chief lived at Cloghballymore castle. A branch moved to Mayo soon after the Anglo-Norman invasion. Their name is usually Kilkelly but sometimes Kelly.[7]

The name over time

History

One name, many families

Kelly is not the name of a single clan. Woulfe lists nine separate families called Ó Ceallaigh, from Derry to west Cork, plus a Mac Ceallaigh family in Galway and another in Leitrim. Several other Irish names, such as Ó Caollaidhe, Ó Cadhla and Mac Giolla Cheallaigh, were also turned into Kelly in English. Wikipedia likewise describes O'Kelly as a name that arose independently in several places. Two Kellys are therefore no more likely to share an ancestor than any two people from the same county.[1][4][5][2]

The O'Kellys of Uí Maine

The most celebrated family of the name ruled Uí Maine, a kingdom spanning much of Galway and Roscommon. Woulfe describes them as a branch of the Oirghialla and among the most powerful families in Connacht. Their surname was taken from Ceallach mac Finnachta, and his grandson Tadhg Mór was the first king of Uí Maine to use it. Tadhg allied with Brian Boru and was killed at Clontarf in 1014. The O'Kellys kept their lordship until Elizabethan times; Wikipedia lists Feardorcha Ó Ceallaigh, who ruled from 1593, as the last.[1][10][9]

The Christmas of 1351

The O'Kellys are remembered for one famous act of hospitality. At Christmas 1351, William Ua Cellaig, chief of Uí Maine, invited poets, artists and writers from all over Ireland to his house at Galey, near Knockcroghery in County Roscommon. The gathering was long remembered, and Wikipedia records that it gave rise to an Irish expression about receiving 'O'Kelly's welcome', said of a generous host.[11]

Breagh and the Leinster families

On the east coast, an O'Kelly family of the southern Uí Néill were lords of Breagh, a large district taking in much of Meath and north County Dublin. They lost their position after the Anglo-Norman invasion and were scattered; Woulfe gives 1292 as the death of Conghalach, the last lord. Further south, Woulfe places three separate O'Kelly families in Leix (Laois), at Lea, Magh Druchtain and Gallen, and another in Uí Teigh in north Wicklow.[1]

North, west and south

Other O'Kelly families had no known link to Uí Maine. One was seated in Loughinsholin, County Derry, where Woulfe found the name still common in the early 20th century. Another held Ard Ó gCeallaigh in Templeboy parish, County Sligo, and a third lived in Corca Laoighdhe in south-west Cork. The Mac Ceallaigh families of Galway and Leitrim had a different prefix but are now indistinguishable from the O'Kellys, and the Kellys of the Isle of Man also bear Mac Ceallaigh.[1][4]

Names that became Kelly

Because Kelly was so familiar, it absorbed several rarer names. Ó Caollaidhe, borne by chiefs in Kilkenny, Leix and Tipperary, was in Woulfe's words almost everywhere disguised as Kelly, and in Waterford became Queally. Ó Cadhla of Connemara and Limerick usually became Kiely or Kealy, occasionally Kelly. Mac Giolla Cheallaigh, a Galway family descended from Guaire, the 7th-century king of Connacht, gave Kilkelly and sometimes plain Kelly. A Kelly family history can lead back to any of these.[5][6][7]

Places linked to the name

  • Knockcroghery (Galey), Co. Roscommon — Near Galey, home of William Ua Cellaig and scene of the 1351 Christmas gathering of poets.[11]
  • Brega (Breagh), Co. Meath — Lordship of the O'Kellys of the southern Uí Néill until after the Anglo-Norman invasion.[1]
  • Loughinsholin, Co. Derry — Barony of the O'Kellys of Cinel Eachach.[1]
  • Ballyadams, Co. Laois — Barony covering Crioch O mBuidhe, territory of a Leix Ó Caollaidhe family whose name became Kelly.[5]
  • Cloghballymore, Co. Galway — Castle of the chief of the Mac Giolla Cheallaigh (Kilkelly) family, in Killeenavarra parish.[7]

Everyday lives

The Kellys in the census

Who the Kellys were in the 1901 and 1911 censuses (and 1926 where recorded), set against everyone in Ireland in the same census.

Kellys All of Ireland Ireland's figure marked on the Kelly bar

Religion, 1911

Catholic +20.2 points vs Ireland
Kellys 93.8%
All of Ireland 73.6%
Church of Ireland −9.7 points vs Ireland
Kellys 3.5%
All of Ireland 13.2%
Presbyterian −8.1 points vs Ireland
Kellys 2.0%
All of Ireland 10.1%
Methodist & other −2.4 points vs Ireland
Kellys 0.7%
All of Ireland 3.1%

Irish language

Spoke Irish, 1901 +1.2 points vs Ireland
Kellys 16.5%
All of Ireland 15.3%
Spoke Irish, 1911 +1.3 points vs Ireland
Kellys 14.8%
All of Ireland 13.5%
Spoke Irish, 1926 · 26 counties −0.9 points vs Ireland
Kellys 12.6%
All of Ireland 13.5%

304 Kellys spoke Irish only in 1901.

Reading & writing

Could read and write, 1901 · aged 15+ −1.9 points vs Ireland
Kellys 78.5%
All of Ireland 80.4%
Could read and write, 1911 · aged 15+ −0.9 points vs Ireland
Kellys 84.9%
All of Ireland 85.8%

Family life, 1911

Household size · 9,758 households lower than Ireland
Kellys 4.7
All of Ireland 4.83
Children born per mother · women 45–59 higher than Ireland
Kellys 6.64
All of Ireland 6.46
Children still living +0.5 points vs Ireland
Kellys 80.3%
All of Ireland 79.8%

Commonest occupations

Adults aged 15+, 1901 and 1911 combined.

Farmer9,059
Farmer's son4,274
Farmer's daughter2,257
General labourer1,710
Agricultural labourer1,492
Labourer1,320
Farm servant1,271
House keeper949
Farm labourer940
Domestic servant789

Born outside Ireland

2.4% of Kellys in 1911 gave a birthplace outside Ireland.

England701
Scotland208
United States134
India18
Australia & NZ11
Canada4

Median age: 23 in 1901, 25 in 1911.

Given names

First names among the Kellys

Men and boys

  1. John9,664
  2. Patrick7,863
  3. James6,258
  4. Michael5,432
  5. Thomas5,220
  6. William3,021
  7. Joseph1,868
  8. Edward1,775
  9. Peter1,448
  10. Martin1,223

Women and girls

  1. Mary10,549
  2. Bridget5,585
  3. Margaret3,705
  4. Ellen2,840
  5. Catherine2,564
  6. Annie2,356
  7. Kate2,071
  8. Anne2,012
  9. Elizabeth1,641
  10. Maggie1,203

All three censuses combined. Top five in 1926: John, Patrick, James, Michael, Thomas; Mary, Bridget, Margaret, Annie, Ellen.

Spellings

Spellings

This page combines the spellings below, which census enumerators and families used for the same name.

Spelling190119111926Records
Kelly46,51045,72937,372Search
O'Kelly480571735Search
Kelley26317437Search

Related forms

  • O'Kelly — The older form with the Ó prefix, kept by some families.[1]
  • Kelley — An anglicised spelling recorded by Woulfe, more frequent in America.[1]
  • Kealy, Keely, Queally — Usual forms of Ó Caollaidhe, which was often anglicised Kelly instead.[5]
  • Kiely, Kealy — Usual forms of Ó Cadhla, a separate name sometimes rendered Kelly.[6]
  • Kilkelly, Gilkelly — Forms of Mac Giolla Cheallaigh, a Galway name sometimes reduced to Kelly.[7]

Diaspora

The Kellys abroad

Emigration carried the name worldwide. In the 2010 United States census:

SpellingPeopleUS rank
Kelly267,39474th
O'Kelly1,50818366th
Kelley140,693198th

Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 surname file (public domain).

Heraldry

Is there a Kelly coat of arms?

There is no coat of arms for everyone named Kelly; arms belonged to particular families. O'Hart records arms for the O'Kellys of Uí Maine showing a triple-towered tower between two lions, with an enfield (a mythical beast) as the crest and the motto 'Turris fortis mihi Deus' (God is a strong tower to me). The antiquary John O'Donovan recorded a tradition that the enfield rose from the sea at Clontarf to guard Tadhg Mór's body. The other Kelly families had no connection to these arms.[12][10][9]

Websites selling a single “Kelly family crest” are selling a design, not an inheritance. Arms in Ireland belonged to individuals and their heirs, and the Chief Herald of Ireland still grants arms that way today.

People

Notable people named Kelly

  • Tadhg Mór Ua Cellaigh (died 1014)
    King of Uí Maine, first to bear the O'Kelly surname; killed fighting for Brian Boru at Clontarf.
  • Hugh Kelly (1739–1777)
    Irish dramatist and poet of the eighteenth century.
  • Michael Kelly (1762–1826)
    Irish tenor, composer and theatre manager with an international career.
  • Mary Eva Kelly (1826–1910)
    Irish-Australian poet known as 'Eva' of The Nation newspaper.
  • Ned Kelly (1854–1880)
    Australian bushranger and gang leader, famous for his homemade bulletproof armour.
  • Seán T. O'Kelly (1882–1966)
    President of Ireland from 1945 to 1959, earlier deputy head of government and Minister for Finance.
  • Gene Kelly (1912–1996)
    American dancer, actor, director and choreographer of classic film musicals.
  • Grace Kelly (1929–1982)
    Academy Award-winning American actress who became Princess of Monaco.
  • Luke Kelly (1940–1984)
    Dublin folk singer and co-founder of the Dubliners.
  • Petra Kelly (1947–1992)
    Founding member of the German Green Party and Right Livelihood Award winner.
  • Sean Kelly (born 1956)
    Irish road cyclist who won nine Monument Classics and seven Paris–Nice titles in a row.

Questions

Questions about the Kelly name

Is Kelly an Irish surname?

Yes. Kelly is mainly the English form of Ó Ceallaigh, a Gaelic surname borne by at least nine separate Irish families. Some Kellys descend instead from Mac Ceallaigh, Ó Caollaidhe, Ó Cadhla or Mac Giolla Cheallaigh. The Isle of Man has its own Kellys, of the Mac Ceallaigh name, and there are unrelated place-name surnames spelled Kelly in Scotland and England.[1][4][2]

What is Kelly in Irish?

Ó Ceallaigh, meaning 'descendant of Ceallach'; the feminine form, used by women, is Ní Cheallaigh. Some Kelly families were originally Mac Ceallaigh, 'son of Ceallach', instead. In parts of Munster and Leinster the Irish name behind Kelly may be Ó Caollaidhe, a different name altogether, which Woulfe says was the ordinary Irish for Kelly in west Limerick and Kerry.[1][5][3][8]

How do you pronounce Kelly?

In English, KEL-ee (/ˈkɛli/). Wiktionary gives the Ulster Irish pronunciation of Ó Ceallaigh as /aˈcal̪ˠi/, roughly 'uh KYAL-ee', with the Ó reduced to a light vowel. Pronunciation in Munster and Connacht Irish differs, and we have not found a source for those.[13][8]

What does Kelly mean?

It means 'descendant of Ceallach'. The meaning of Ceallach itself is disputed. Woulfe, in 1923, gave 'war, contention'. More recent scholarship, as summarised on Wikipedia, connects it with ceall, 'church', suggesting someone who frequented churches; an older reading, 'bright-headed', has been dropped.[1][2]

Is there a Kelly family crest or coat of arms?

No single one. O'Hart records arms for the O'Kellys of Uí Maine: a tower between two lions, an enfield crest and the motto 'Turris fortis mihi Deus'. They belong to that family's line, not to every Kelly. A Portuguese branch of the family was granted arms with the same motto in 1785, according to Wikipedia.[12][9]

Is Kelly Irish or Scottish?

Overwhelmingly Irish, from Ó Ceallaigh and related Gaelic names. Wikipedia notes that Kelly can also be a Scottish place-name surname, from Kelly near Arbroath or Kellie in Fife, and an English one from Kelly in Devon. It also mentions heavy Irish migration into Galloway, so Scottish Kellys may well have Irish roots. Only a family's own records can show which applies.[2]

Where in Ireland is the Kelly surname most common?

In the 1911 census the largest numbers of Kellys lived in Dublin (6,934), Galway (3,857), Roscommon (2,708). Relative to population, the name was most concentrated in Roscommon (288 per 10,000), Kildare (228 per 10,000), Galway (212 per 10,000).

How common was the Kelly surname in Ireland?

46,474 people were recorded as Kelly or O'Kelly or Kelley in the 1911 census of Ireland, making it the 2nd most common surname. That is roughly 1.1% of the population, or 1 person in 94.

Looking for a Kelly ancestor?

Search every Kelly household in the 1901, 1911 and 1926 censuses, with free images of the original forms.

Search records on irishcensus.com

Evidence

Sources

  1. Patrick Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames, entry 'Ó Ceallaigh' (1923)
  2. Wikipedia contributors, Kelly (surname) (2026)
  3. Gaois research group, Dublin City University, Sloinnte: Irish surname dataset (version 2) (2022). Modern standard Irish forms.
  4. Patrick Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames, entry 'Mac Ceallaigh' (1923)
  5. Patrick Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames, entry 'Ó Caollaidhe' (1923)
  6. Patrick Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames, entry 'Ó Cadhla' (1923)
  7. Patrick Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames, entry 'Mac Giolla Cheallaigh' (1923)
  8. Wiktionary contributors, Ó Ceallaigh (2026)
  9. Wikipedia contributors, Uí Maine (2026)
  10. Wikipedia contributors, Tadhg Mór Ua Cellaigh (2026)
  11. Wikipedia contributors, William Ua Cellaig (2026)
  12. John O'Hart, Irish Pedigrees, 'O'Kelly (No.1): Princes of Hy-Maine' (1892)
  13. Wiktionary contributors, Kelly (2026)
  14. Census of Ireland 1901 and 1911, and Census of Population 1926, National Archives of Ireland. Counts compiled by surnames.ie from the irishcensus.com transcription (dataset 20260831130351). 1926 data © National Archives of Ireland, CC BY 4.0.

How we compile these figures: methodology.