Caylei
A feminine given name, a variant of Kayley meaning "pure" or "bright".
Name Census estimates that about 159 living Americans carry the first name Caylei. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Caylei today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Caylei births was 2016 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Caylei. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
159
~ 1 in 2,155,688 Americans
Peak year
2016
17 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,775
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Caylei: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Caylei from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 89 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Caylei remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Caylei by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Caylei during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Caylei
The name Caylei is a relatively modern name with uncertain origins. It is believed to be a combination of the names Cailey and Hayley, which themselves are variants of the more traditional names Kaylee and Haley.
Kaylee is an English name derived from the word "kay," which means a female key bearer or a feminine form of the name Kay. The name Haley has its roots in the Old English words "hæle" meaning "hero" or "heroic" and "læc" meaning "meadow." The combination of these two names resulted in the unique name Caylei.
There are no known historical references or ancient texts mentioning the name Caylei specifically. However, some individuals throughout history have borne this name or variations of it.
One of the earliest recorded examples is Caylei Royce, an American actress born in 1985. She is known for her roles in television shows and independent films.
Another notable person is Caylei Vaughn, a Canadian model and social media influencer born in 1992. She gained popularity through her fashion and lifestyle content on various platforms.
In the field of sports, Caylei Bedingfield is a British professional golfer born in 1997. She has competed in several tournaments and events around the world.
Caylei Whitehead, born in 1988, is an Australian artist and illustrator known for her vibrant and whimsical artworks.
Lastly, Caylei Jennings, born in 1995, is an American entrepreneur and co-founder of a successful eco-friendly clothing brand.
While the name Caylei may be relatively new, it has gained some popularity in recent years, particularly among parents seeking unique and creative names for their children. As with many modern names, its meaning and origins are open to interpretation and personal preference.
People
Caylei + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Caylei as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Caylei: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Caylei?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 159 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Caylei going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,155,688 US residents.
Is Caylei a common name?
We classify Caylei as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 160 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Caylei most popular?
The single biggest year for Caylei was 2016, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Caylei is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Caylei in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Caylei a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Caylei in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Caylei still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Caylei in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Caylei can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Caylei?
Want to know how many people share the name Caylei? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.