Kelly - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Ceallaigh
Meaning: “bright-headed” or “strife”
Traditional stronghold: Meath, Galway, Roscommon
The second most common Irish surname.
Pronunciation: KEL-ee; Irish O Ceallaigh: oh KAL-ee
History of the Kelly name
Kelly comes from Ceallach, an early personal name thought to mean 'bright-headed' or 'contentious'. The principal sept, the Ui Cheallaigh, were kings and later lords of Ui Maine, a large territory spanning east Galway and south Roscommon, where they held sway from the early Middle Ages until the Cromwellian confiscations. Other, smaller Kelly septs existed in Meath, Antrim and Tipperary. Because Ui Maine was so extensive and populous, Kelly spread widely even before anglicisation, and it remains the second most common surname in Ireland after Murphy, found in especially high numbers throughout Connacht.
Variants: Kelley · O'Kelly · Kelli
Famous bearers of the name
- Ned Kelly - Irish-Australian bushranger of Tipperary descent
- Grace Kelly - Hollywood actress and Princess of Monaco, of Mayo descent
- Gene Kelly - Irish-American dancer and actor famed for Singin' in the Rain
- Sean Kelly - Waterford-born cyclist, one of the sport's greatest all-rounders
Related names from the same part of Ireland: O'Connor · Lynch · Murray · Connolly · Brennan · Burke · Flynn · Clarke