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The only Kelly I've ever known was a little girl for whom I used to babysit when I was a teenager. I haven't seen her since she was five years old, but she is forty-two now, wherever she is and whatever she's doing. I can't believe it---where has the time gone?

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Kelly was well-established and popular as a girls' name when that Kelly was born. Kelly is one boys-name-gone-to-girls that I can still see as masculine, whereas others, such as Courtney and Ashley, I can't. I'm with you in that I prefer it on a boy. However, I also I agree with you in that I definitely think it's very well entrenched in most people's minds as a girls' name. Maybe, or probably, a boy Kelly wouldn't be teased, but I like to err on the side of a caution when it comes to that, so I'd never name a boy Kelly.