Kelly vs Maher
Kelly and Mahercompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2023, Kelly was ranked #3523 and Maher #1272 among boys in England and Wales.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2020, Kelly was ranked #1352 and Maher #4535 among girls in England and Wales.
Kelly and Maher over time
Kelly and Maher appear together in 1 published list, across 21 years of shared records. Maher held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Kelly in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Kelly reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Maher in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Kelly and Maher changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1997 and 2023, ending at #3523 and #1272.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys21 shared years, 1997–2023
Kelly held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Maher in 15.
Highest recorded here: Kelly #1454 in 1997, Maher #1132 in 2018.
The order changed in 2009: Maher moved ahead. In 2008 they stood at #2507 and #2775; by 2009 that had become #2837 and #1981.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Kelly #3523, Maher #1272.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Kelly | Maher |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Scotland · Girls #790 (2024) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #829 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Kelly and Maher both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Kelly
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #93 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1970–1998
Highest recorded position: #3 among girls in New Zealand, in 1978 (recorded 1970–1998).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #1672 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls
Maher
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #2020 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #1859 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys