Fun Facts About the Name Kaeleigh
- More than 1 thousand babies named Kaeleigh: U.S. records list 1,426 babies given the name Kaeleigh from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Kaeleigh Mean?
Kaeleigh is a modern respelling of the English name Kaylee, and its meaning is usually explained by taking that name apart into two familiar elements. The first, Kay, is an English short form of Katherine, a name that comes from the Greek Aikaterinē. The ultimate sense of Aikaterinē is uncertain, but it has long been connected with the Greek word katharos, meaning "pure." The second element, -lee, represents the English name Lee, which derives from the Old English lēah, "woodland clearing" or "meadow." Read as a compound, Kaylee and its spelling variant Kaeleigh are commonly glossed as "pure meadow."
A competing suggestion links this group of names to the Irish Gaelic name Cadhla, sometimes translated as "beautiful" or "slender and fair," by way of the similar name Kayla. That connection rests on resemblance and on the separate history of Kayla; it is not settled. The compound explanation is the more transparent one, since it is built directly from the two elements Kay and Lee.
Kaeleigh Name History & Origins
Kaeleigh is one of several respellings of Kaylee, alongside Kayley, Kailey, Kaley, Kaylie, Kaleigh, and Kayleigh. Its parts are older than the name as a whole. Kay was already in use as an independent English given name as a short form of Katherine, and Lee is an English surname and given name going back to the Old English lēah, "meadow" or "clearing." Joining a short, familiar name to a "-lee" ending became a common way of forming girls' names in English, and such names were regularly written in more than one way.
The particular spelling of Kaeleigh belongs to a later taste for longer, more decorative written forms of simple names. The ending -leigh and the ae digraph give the name a written shape distinct from its pronunciation, which matches Kaylee. The same ornamental conventions appear in other respellings of the period, such as Kayleigh and Kaleigh. The Irish name Cadhla is sometimes proposed as the source of Kaylee and its variants, but that claim is generally routed through the separate name Kayla and is not firmly established.
How Popular is the Name Kaeleigh?
Kaeleigh has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2008. Its best rank was #2,476 in 2001.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #11,381 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #11,555 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2023 | #16,280 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2022 | #12,843 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2021 | #7,808 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 2020 | #5,964 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2019 | #6,550 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2018 | #3,886 | 38 | 0.0022% |
| 2017 | #4,866 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2016 | #4,780 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2015 | #4,782 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2014 | #4,599 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 2013 | #3,739 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 2012 | #3,953 | 39 | 0.0022% |
| 2011 | #3,750 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 2010 | #3,381 | 48 | 0.0027% |
| 2009 | #2,766 | 65 | 0.0035% |
| 2008 | #2,785 | 65 | 0.0034% |
| 2007 | #3,108 | 56 | 0.0029% |
| 2006 | #2,926 | 59 | 0.0031% |
| 2005 | #2,987 | 54 | 0.0029% |
| 2004 | #2,905 | 55 | 0.0030% |
| 2003 | #2,783 | 56 | 0.0031% |
| 2002 | #2,479 | 64 | 0.0036% |
| 2001 | #2,476 | 63 | 0.0035% |
| 2000 | #3,093 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 1999 | #2,483 | 58 | 0.0033% |
| 1998 | #2,633 | 52 | 0.0029% |
| 1997 | #2,680 | 47 | 0.0027% |
| 1996 | #3,179 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 1995 | #3,387 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 1994 | #3,057 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 1993 | #4,312 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1992 | #2,940 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 1991 | #5,080 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1990 | #6,636 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1989 | #3,942 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1988 | #5,155 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1987 | #5,422 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1986 | #4,251 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1985 | #11,429 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Kaeleigh Shapes Your Personality and Life?
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Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Kaeleigh's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kaeleigh's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.