Kelly is the anglicized Irish surname *Ó Ceallaigh* — from the Old Irish cellach ("warrior, strife" or possibly "frequenting churches"). **Originally a masculine surname; shifted majority-feminine in the United States in the 1950s after Grace Kelly's films**. **A top-15 US baby name from 1968 to 1979, peaking at #11 in 1977**. **Kelly Clarkson (born 1982)** — **the first winner of *American Idol* (2002); three Grammy Awards; over 25 million albums sold; host of *The Kelly Clarkson Show* (Daytime Emmys 2020, 2021, 2022)**. **Kelly Rowland (born 1981)** — Destiny's Child member; four Grammy Awards. **Kelly Ripa (born 1970)** — *Live with Kelly and Mark*; over $20M annual salary, one of TV's highest-paid hosts. **Kelly Slater** is male (surfer).
Subject of countless American Idol retrospectives.
Kelly reduces to eight — the number of warrior.