Fun Facts About the Name Zailee
- 519 babies named Zailee: U.S. records list 519 babies given the name Zailee from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Zailee Mean?
Zailee has no established meaning in the traditional record of personal names, and no source language or root word can be identified for it with confidence. It is best understood as a modern English formation: an initial Z- sound joined to the ending -ailee, which echoes the -lee of English surnames such as Bailey, Hailey and Riley. In those surnames the element goes back to Old English lēah, "woodland" or "clearing," but in names of this newer type the ending is normally ornamental, chosen for its sound rather than carried over as a meaning-bearing word.
The resemblance to other Z- names - Zaylee, Zailey, Zayla, Zaya - shows a shared style rather than a single documented ancestor; similar-looking names do not necessarily share an origin. Zailee also resembles the French name Zélie, a short form of Azélie, which comes from a different, Germanic source; the likeness is coincidental and does not establish a connection. Any symbolic reading of Zailee is a modern association rather than a documented etymology.
Zailee Name History & Origins
Zailee belongs to a group of names built on a Z- opening and a -lee or -lay ending that took shape in the United States in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. It follows two earlier patterns: surname-style names ending in the sound "lee" (Hailey, Kaylee, Riley, Bailey) and given names that begin with a striking Z-. Zailee is one of several spellings used for the same pronunciation, alongside Zaylee, Zailey, Zayleigh and Zaylie; the different spellings developed as variations on one sound rather than as separate names with separate histories.
A similar-looking French name, Zélie, is known in the Catholic world through Zélie Martin, the mother of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. That name grew out of the older French form Azélie and its Germanic roots, a development that belongs to Zélie alone; shared spelling patterns do not connect it to Zailee.
How Popular is the Name Zailee?
Zailee 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 2022. Its best rank was #3,532 in 2022.
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 | #3,710 | 41 | 0.0026% |
| 2024 | #3,873 | 39 | 0.0024% |
| 2023 | #3,702 | 42 | 0.0026% |
| 2022 | #3,532 | 45 | 0.0027% |
| 2021 | #4,409 | 32 | 0.0020% |
| 2020 | #4,072 | 35 | 0.0022% |
| 2019 | #4,541 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2018 | #3,914 | 38 | 0.0022% |
| 2017 | #5,042 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 2016 | #4,243 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 2015 | #5,451 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2014 | #6,976 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2013 | #4,881 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 2012 | #7,789 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2011 | #8,603 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2010 | #9,765 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2009 | #8,442 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2008 | #8,956 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2007 | #17,591 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #19,151 | 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 Zailee Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have aspiration and inspiration, hope and guidance. Since you are intuitive and perceptive and you understand human nature. You have the power to achieve. Diplomacy and discretion make you a good mediator. You are inspired, introspective, and have a good understanding of the human heart. You can have the ability to commercialize your artistic talents successfully. You are often a mystery to others and to yourself. You are always reaching for something higher, without exactly knowing what that "higher" is. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
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.
✦ Zailee's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Zailee's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.