Cayleigh
A feminine variant of the name Kaylee, derived from the Celtic components "cai" meaning "battle" and "leigh" meaning "meadow."
Name Census estimates that about 2,240 living Americans carry the first name Cayleigh. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cayleigh today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cayleigh births was 2009 (162 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cayleigh. 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.
Key insights
- • Cayleigh is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 17 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
2.2K
~ 1 in 153,015 Americans
Peak year
2009
162 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,671
Tracked since 1986
Popularity
Cayleigh: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cayleigh from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 986 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cayleigh 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 Cayleigh during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cayleighs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 23 states and territories. Texas, North Carolina, Georgia recorded the most babies named Cayleigh, while Missouri, Michigan, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 34 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cayleigh
The given name Cayleigh is a relatively modern invention, with no definitive roots tracing back to ancient cultures or languages. It is likely a creative spelling variant of the more traditional English name Kaylee, which itself is a combination of the name elements "Kay" and "Lee."
The name element "Kay" has its origins in the medieval English nickname for the name Catherine, derived from the ancient Greek name Katharina. This name was borne by several historical figures, including St. Catherine of Alexandria, a 4th-century Christian martyr.
The name element "Lee" is believed to have originated as a surname, possibly from the Old English word "leah," meaning a meadow or clearing in a forest. It later evolved into a common given name, particularly for girls.
While the precise origin of the spelling "Cayleigh" is unclear, it may have emerged as a unique spelling variation in the late 20th century, perhaps influenced by the trend of creating distinctive and personalized names for children.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cayleigh is Cayleigh Griffin, born in 1996, who gained recognition as a child actress in the early 2000s, appearing in films like "The Princess Diaries" and "Cheaper by the Dozen."
Another notable bearer of the name is Cayleigh Mooney, a Canadian athlete who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London as a member of the Canadian women's soccer team.
In the realm of literature, the name Cayleigh is featured in the work of author Margo Lanagan, particularly in her 2008 novel "Tender Morsels," where Cayleigh is one of the main characters.
Other individuals who have borne the name Cayleigh include Cayleigh Campbell, a Scottish actress known for her role in the television series "River City," and Cayleigh Griffiths, a former British national badminton champion.
While the name Cayleigh may be relatively new and without deep historical roots, it has been embraced by a diverse range of individuals in various fields, adding to its unique character and identity.
People
Cayleigh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cayleigh 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
Cayleigh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cayleigh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,240 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cayleigh 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 153,015 US residents.
Is Cayleigh a common name?
We classify Cayleigh as "Rare". It ranks above 94.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,270 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cayleigh most popular?
The single biggest year for Cayleigh was 2009, when 162 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cayleigh is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cayleigh a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cayleigh 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.
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.