Message: "Kelsey" - Behind the Name

[Opinions] Kelsey

by aussiechic04

4/19/2020, 7:51 PM

WDYTO Kelsey? Any strong opinions either way? Any associations?
First impressions? What middle name would you pair it with?

Thanks :)

#Kelsey

Replies

- Jasmine (silly_rabbit)

4/21/2020, 6:57 PM

It’s cute. I know Kelseys and can’t complain much. I like Kelsea too.

It’s hard for me to find a nn that doesn’t make it sound definitively ‘90s...

Kelsey Hannah
Kelsey Rosamond
Kelsey Lillian
Kelsey Alison
Kelsey Christine
Kelsey Madelyn

- Starstrider (Serafina Starstrider) +1

4/21/2020, 12:49 PM

I used this name recently for my character in our supernatural mystery game that is set in the 90's and we are all playing college students. My character's name is Kelsey Morton, her parents are both scientists and she is an aspiring geologist. Her mother's maiden name is Kelsey so she was named Kelsey before it was popular.

My favorite science teacher in middle and high school was named Kathryn Kelsey and often went by KK. She's the first thing I think of when I hear the name Kelsey. The second thing I think of is actor Kelsey Grammer. The name also reminds me of the name Chelsea.

I like the name Kelsey, it's not my favorite style of name but I still like it. I prefer it for a girl. I also like the name Chelsea although I may prefer Kelsey because I really like the nn's Kel and Kells.

I feel like the best middle names for Kelsey are something like Kelsey Jean, Kelsey June, Kelsey Jane, Kelsey Ruth, Kelsey Agnes, Kelsey Opal, Kelsey Myrtle, Kelsey Marian, or Kelsey Patrice. I also like Kelsey Maeve, Kelsey Minerva, Kelsey Juno, Kelsey Winifred, Kelsey Ingrid, Kelsey Rowan, Kelsey Amelia, and Kelsey Roberta.

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This message was edited 4/21/2020, 2:01 PM

- aussiechic04

4/21/2020, 1:24 PM

Thanks for the feedback.
I like Kelsey Maeve, Kelsey Rowan (very unisex) and Kelsey Ruth. Kelsey Juno is interesting.

- erb816 +3

4/20/2020, 10:57 AM

Grammer

Literally the first thing to pop into my head was Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane going on his radio show. That is my only association. So even though, by sound alone, I wouldn't categorize Kelsey as a very masculine name... it's masculine to me because of the actor. Can't say I'm too fond of the name by itself, so I don't really have any combos for you.

As a feminine name, I much prefer Chelsea to Kelsey.

- aussiechic04 +2

4/20/2020, 9:22 PM

I agree. I see Kelsey as quite a feminine name too even though the most famous one I could associate it with is male - weird! Thanks.

- Violet_Kent86 (BuckeyedPeach86) +1

4/21/2020, 9:23 AM

I don't - I associate it with the Metro Station song: "I'd swim the ocean for you, swim the ocean for you / Oh-whoa-oh, Kelsey..."

- aussiechic04

4/21/2020, 1:25 PM

Thanks for the song reference, I didn’t know there was one about the name Kelsey!

- Billina (RDNZL) +5

4/20/2020, 9:47 AM

I like it. It's not a name I would ever use, but it's bright, and happy.

I would go with...I don't know...Kelsey Joanne. Make her a 90's baby.

- aussiechic04 +4

4/20/2020, 9:20 PM

Yep it’s definitely a perky type name (which is a good thing), but unfortunately I agree it is too dated to use now. Thanks for the feedback.

- Starstrider (Serafina Starstrider)

4/21/2020, 2:26 PM

I don't feel like it is too dated to use but that is because I've never met a Kelsey. I've met quite a few Kelly's and Chelsea's but no or very few Kelsey's. Where are all these Kelsey's because the name was fairly popular and yet I've never come across one? I went to a K-12 school and I never saw any Kelsey's in my sister's age group or the slightly younger kids.

I think Kelsey seems happy and peppy, it makes me think of big cheery sunflowers. I really like the name and I don't feel that it isn't intellectual. My science teacher Kathryn Kelsey and then there is Kelsey Grammer actually makes the name Kelsey have nerd vibes to me but the feel of the name gives it passionate nerd vibes. I imagine a Kelsey talking a mile-a-minute about some really nerdy thing she is super passionate about. Kind of like the character Leslie Knope but more of a nerd, so Kelsey to me has the personality I'd imagine from Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt's daughter. Lol.

That's why I used the name for my very passionate aspiring scientist character. Her personality is often quiet and completative seeming but in reality her mind is passionately dashing with questions, ideas, and possibilities. Ask my character about something she is interested in and be surprised with explosion of excitement and information. My character is inspired by John Muir, Leslie Knope, my father, and this amazing scientist I met in Maui named Cory.

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This message was edited 4/21/2020, 2:57 PM

- Lovekids +2

4/20/2020, 9:53 PM

I dunno... I know a 13 year old Kelsey and a 4 year old Kelsey. They both are hilarious, adorable and very spunky girls, which may color my perception of the name, but I don’t see it as dated. I’d much rather meet a small Kelsey than a little Deborah or Barbara or Dorothy. Lol

- aussiechic04 +1

4/21/2020, 12:32 AM

Oh I agree - I’d rather meet a Kelsey than a Deborah or Barbara - they would be a shock to the system! But I feel (and going by most comments) that Kelsey is dated to around the 90s, so in 30 years time it might feel the same as a Deborah or Barbara? I do love Kelsey’s bright and youthful vibe though :)

- Lovekids

4/21/2020, 3:51 PM

Yeah that’s true. :)

- Wisteria (Tawnee) +1

4/20/2020, 9:36 AM

It's ok. Feels a little dated to the 80s. I like Kelly better.

Kelsey Christina
Kelsey Delilah
Kelsey Isabella
Kelsey Victoria
Kelsey Rosalie

- aussiechic04

4/20/2020, 9:18 PM

Thanks. I think Kelsey fits well with Christina and Isabella, and maybe Victoria.

- Angrboða (Moirrey) +1

4/20/2020, 6:18 AM

Kelsey is one of those names that has a "type" associated with it for me, same as a name like Bianca, Becky, Madison. Kelsey is an overly hyper peppy type.

I don't really like it.

- aussiechic04

4/20/2020, 9:17 PM

Yes, it does have a certain vibe about it. Thanks for the feedback.

- Fiammetta (lady murasaki) +1

4/20/2020, 4:44 AM

I like it in a GP-ish way, but I think surnamey names ending in -ey will become very dated.

- aussiechic04

4/20/2020, 5:13 AM

Thanks. I think it’s going in the GP category for me too, it does seem dated.

- Cake or Death (queenv) +1

4/20/2020, 4:24 AM

As surnames on girls go, it's one of the few that don't make me shudder. I put it in a different category than Kayla and Kaylin because it's an actual surname and not just made up the way that they are. I find it preferable to the formerly popular Kelly, in that the S sound softens it. I don't have any associations or impressions. So I don't love it and don't hate it. I currently work with a Kelsei, which is a spelling I find unfortunate.

- aussiechic04

4/20/2020, 5:11 AM

Thanks. Yes, at least it’s got some history/meaning behind it. K seems to be a popular letter to invent names with...

- Frappuccino +1

4/20/2020, 1:26 AM

I’m only a fan of a few names beginning with k and this isn’t one of them. I kind of knew one once (she was my cousin’s neighbour when we were younger) and she was okay.

- aussiechic04

4/20/2020, 5:06 AM

Thanks for the feedback.

- ari. +1

4/20/2020, 1:23 AM

It reminds me of molten plastic, for some reason. I really dislike it, it sounds unintellectual and silly.
Kelsey Adelaide
Kelsey Beatrix
Kelsey Eleanor
Kelsey Gwendolyn
Kelsey Imogen
Kelsey Josephine
Kelsey Theodora
Kelsey Vivian

- aussiechic04

4/20/2020, 5:06 AM

Yes I get a youthful vibe too, though not necessarily silly. I like Kelsey Imogen. Thanks.

- Anneza +1

4/20/2020, 12:16 AM

I really, really dislike it, for the very silly reason that it makes me think of adult diapers. Why it does, I don't know.

I don't much enjoy Chelsea as a name, but it's infinitely better than poor Kelsey!

- aussiechic04

4/20/2020, 5:03 AM

An amusing association! I’m going to google it now to see if it’s a brand!
I admit I’m not a fan of Chelsea either, it does have a more appealing sound perhaps.

- Kerilyntaryn21 +1

4/19/2020, 11:05 PM

I think its nice. mn Renee, Nicole, Elisabeth, Eliza, Grace, Rose, Faith, Josephine, Juliet, Portia, Stella, Lucinda, Matilda, Miranda, Naomi, Olivia, Susannah, Zara, Tessa, Rachel

- aussiechic04

4/20/2020, 4:59 AM

Thanks. I like these suggestions: Renee, Elisabeth & Miranda.

- Martha (CarolineCarolina) +1

4/19/2020, 10:26 PM

I grew up with a Kelsey Shannon. Love her, but her name made me shudder from an early age. Her dad was one of those "I'm so Irish" American men. One of his other daughters is Megan, which he is convinced is as Irish a name as it gets.

Anyway, don't like Kelsey. I don't like the sound. I don't like its flimsiness. It's cutesy. I find comparable names like Keely or even Kylie much more appealing.

That said, I'd pair it with something that ends in an 'uh' sound. Kelsey Rebecca, Kelsey Cecilia, Kelsey Juliana.

This message was edited 4/19/2020, 10:26 PM

- aussiechic04

4/20/2020, 4:56 AM

It does have a cutesy / youthful vibe about it. Interestingly I actually prefer it to Keely though, Keely seems almost immature to me. I think Kelsey Rebecca works well, thanks.

- Theodora'sMommy (Nemesis0408) +1

4/19/2020, 9:41 PM

Dated, insubstantial K-name that just rode the wave of Keely Kayla Kylee etc. nothingness in the late 90s/early 2000s. I dislike surnames on boys, but I loathe them on girls. Plus it reminds me of the cheap chain restaurant.

- aussiechic04

4/20/2020, 4:48 AM

Yeah it does seem dated to the 90s. I can’t remember ever having met one (I’ve known Kellys and Chelseas etc) so it seemed fresh to me. I didn’t know about the restaurant thing, thanks.

- Lovekids +1

4/19/2020, 9:04 PM

Love it. Super cute!!!
Sweet, spunky, and fun.

Middles
Nicole
Renee
Amelia
Danika
Brielle
Jada
Fiona
Grace

This message was edited 4/19/2020, 11:09 PM

- aussiechic04

4/20/2020, 4:44 AM

Thanks. I like the suggestions of Renee and Fiona.

- A (guest) +3

4/19/2020, 7:59 PM

I don't like it at all. I think of the crappy restaurant where I once got frozen(!) pasta.

- aussiechic04 +2

4/20/2020, 4:43 AM

Wow that sounds dodgy. I didn’t know of the restaurant association.

- Cake or Death (queenv) +1

4/20/2020, 4:53 AM

I've never heard of the restaurant either.

- A (guest)

4/20/2020, 6:39 AM

Probably just Canadian.

https://www.kelseys.ca/en.html

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