Patrick Kelly might be small, but his birth means, in generations to come, there could be an all-powerful Kelly dynasty in Orange. 

While Orange residents went about their daily business shopping, eating out or going to parks, the Kellys stayed in bed. 

Patrick’s great-uncle Mark Kelly said the family were lovers not fighters. 

“Kellys have always been great breeders,” he said.

This dedication to the Kelly clan paid off this year, as the family finally pushed the Bennetts off the list of the top 10 most popular surnames in the Orange local government area, according to the Yellow Pages. 

Patrick’s dad Michael is proud he could contribute to the victory, but concedes there is still a long way to go before  they knock the Smiths off the top spot. 

The Bennett family are veterans of the top 10, with an appearance in the list every year since it began in 2010. 

But the Bennetts did not stand a chance against the likes of Michael and his wife Amy, whose two sons will continue the family name for another generation. 

January 2014 is the first time the Kellys have made the prestigious list and now its members have had a taste of notoriety, there is no turning back. 

Bill and Ann Kelly, Patrick’s grandparents, have nine grandchildren, six of whom are boys, so it may not be long before the family challenges the Smiths for most popular surname in Orange. 

The Smiths came in first followed by the Joneses, the Thompsons, the Williamses, the Wilsons, the Browns, the Wrights, the Davises, the Ryans and the Kellys.

Orange’s most popular surnames

January 2014: Smith, Jones, Thompson, Williams, Wilson, Brown, Wright, Davis, Ryan, Kelly.

February 2013: Smith, Jones, Brown, Davis, Wilson, Williams, Wright, Bennett, White, Thompson

February 2012: Jones, Smith, Brown, Davis, Wilson, Williams, Wright, Campbell, Baker, Bennett

February 2011: Smith, Jones, Davis, Brown, Wilson, Williams, Wright, White, Bennett, Taylor

June 2010: Smith, Jones, Davis, Brown, Williams, Wilson, Wright, White, Bennett, Thompson