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Comments and insights on the name Kelsey: | Edit

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Personal experiences with the name Kelsey: | Edit

I seem to have lived all my life near someone named Kelsey. My next door neighbor since I was six was named Kelsey, and she was about my age. I'm in college now and my roommate's name is Kelsey. They are both pretty intense, in their own ways. My mom likes to tell this story about Neighbor Kelsey:

When Kelsey and I were in about 2nd or 3rd grade, Kelsey said to my mother in a bright cheery voice, "I just love giving oral reports!"
My mom, an elementary school teacher, was astounded, and in high school Kelsey went on to win best high school journalist in the state.
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My name is Kelsey, and I really dislike it. One of the reasons my parents chose it is because it wasn't a very popular name before I was born, but unfortunately it boomed in popularity right around my birth year. I only met a few other girls named Kelsey during my school years, but now that I'm in college I can't throw a rock without hitting another one. I even spent three years in college with one who had my same last name, and we've received mail, email, job offers, ballots, etc. intended for the other one on several occasions. My name is commonly misheard as Chelsea and Kelly, and I have a commonly misheard last name as well, so it isn't unusual for my name to be completely mistaken. Although it has a feminine diminutive ending, I'm well aware that my name has been a place name, surname, and male name throughout history. I don't see my name as particularly feminine, though it doesn't feel truly androgynous given that its most recent popularity boom in America was as a female name. I dislike the harsh sound of the K, and given that K is not a common letter/sound in many alphabets, it is a difficult name to translate, recognize, or pronounce for non-native English speakers/non-English speakers and that can make international relations difficult. I feel like my name limits me because it is trendy, of ambiguous gender, clearly western, and in my experience given exclusively to Caucasians. Of the other Kelseys I have asked, there isn't one of us who really likes her name. If you're thinking about naming your daughter Kelsey, I urge you to pick something else.

Nicknames for Kelsey: | Edit

K, Kel, Kels, Kelso, Kes, Kelly

Meanings and history of the name Kelsey: | Edit

From an English surname that is originally derived from two villages in Northern England, North Kelsey and South Kelsey.

Famous real-life people named Kelsey: | Edit

Kelsey Grammar (male) is the first one to come to mind.

Kelsey in song, story & screen: | Edit

"Kelsey", a song by Metro Station