Fun Facts About the Name Kaileigh
- More than 2 thousand babies named Kaileigh: U.S. records list 2,774 babies given the name Kaileigh from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Kaileigh Mean?
Kaileigh is a modern spelling of the English feminine name usually written Kayleigh or Kaylee, and no single etymology is firmly established. The explanation most often repeated traces the name to the Irish Gaelic word céilidh (older spelling céilidhe), a traditional social gathering with music, song, and dancing. That word goes back to Old Irish céile, "companion." Read this way, the name is understood as "social gathering" or "visit," but the shift from common noun to personal name is a modern step, and Irish does not use céilidh as a traditional given name.
A second explanation treats the name as an English compound: the given name Kay, often a short form of Katherine, joined to the ending -lee or -leigh, from Old English lēah, "wood, clearing, meadow." That would give a literal sense along the lines of "Kay's meadow," but in names such as Ashleigh and Hayleigh the ending works mainly as a spelling fashion, so a strict meaning cannot be relied on. Some lists instead call Kaileigh a variant of Kayla, a name with its own separate and disputed derivations. Since these explanations compete and none is backed by early records, the meaning is best described as uncertain.
Kaileigh Name History & Origins
The spelling Kaileigh belongs to a set of feminine names - Kayleigh, Kaylee, Kayley, Kailey, Kaylie, Kailee - that became widespread in the English-speaking world in the second half of the 20th century. Their shared feature is the -leigh/-lee ending, an element taken from English surnames and place names descended from Old English lēah. Spellings with -leigh grew fashionable in Britain, Australia, and North America from the mid-20th century onward, as in Ashleigh and Hayleigh.
The form Kayleigh was familiar enough in Britain to serve as the title of a 1985 song by the band Marillion; that song is a well-known later use, not the name's origin. The Kaileigh spelling, with ai in the first syllable, is one of several respellings that appeared as the familiar form was varied. The frequently repeated Irish derivation rests on the modern resemblance between the name and the word céilidh rather than on documented Irish naming practice. There is no reason to connect Kaileigh with the English surname and place name Keighley, which has a different pronunciation and a separate history.
How Popular is the Name Kaileigh?
Kaileigh 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 2004. Its best rank was #1,587 in 2004.
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 | #5,156 | 25 | 0.0016% |
| 2024 | #6,019 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2023 | #4,602 | 30 | 0.0019% |
| 2022 | #3,921 | 38 | 0.0023% |
| 2021 | #5,156 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 2020 | #3,809 | 38 | 0.0024% |
| 2019 | #3,110 | 52 | 0.0031% |
| 2018 | #3,313 | 48 | 0.0028% |
| 2017 | #2,523 | 71 | 0.0041% |
| 2016 | #2,992 | 56 | 0.0032% |
| 2015 | #2,345 | 79 | 0.0044% |
| 2014 | #2,280 | 82 | 0.0046% |
| 2013 | #2,041 | 95 | 0.0054% |
| 2012 | #2,154 | 88 | 0.0050% |
| 2011 | #1,734 | 119 | 0.0068% |
| 2010 | #1,868 | 109 | 0.0061% |
| 2009 | #2,040 | 101 | 0.0055% |
| 2008 | #1,970 | 107 | 0.0057% |
| 2007 | #1,978 | 104 | 0.0054% |
| 2006 | #1,887 | 108 | 0.0057% |
| 2005 | #1,660 | 120 | 0.0065% |
| 2004 | #1,587 | 124 | 0.0068% |
| 2003 | #1,660 | 116 | 0.0063% |
| 2002 | #1,786 | 101 | 0.0056% |
| 2001 | #2,039 | 83 | 0.0046% |
| 2000 | #1,838 | 94 | 0.0052% |
| 1999 | #1,794 | 89 | 0.0050% |
| 1998 | #1,984 | 76 | 0.0043% |
| 1997 | #2,081 | 68 | 0.0039% |
| 1996 | #2,192 | 62 | 0.0035% |
| 1995 | #2,902 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 1994 | #2,362 | 55 | 0.0031% |
| 1993 | #2,302 | 56 | 0.0031% |
| 1992 | #2,494 | 51 | 0.0028% |
| 1991 | #2,604 | 47 | 0.0025% |
| 1990 | #2,500 | 48 | 0.0025% |
| 1989 | #2,384 | 49 | 0.0027% |
| 1988 | #2,763 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 1987 | #3,566 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1986 | #3,225 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1985 | #7,891 | 8 | 0.0005% |
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 Kaileigh Shapes Your Personality and Life?
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✦ Kaileigh's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kaileigh's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.