Cayli
A unique name of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 445 living Americans carry the first name Cayli. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cayli today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cayli births was 1999 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cayli. 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
445
~ 1 in 770,234 Americans
Peak year
1999
27 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,391
Tracked since 1987
Census
Cayli in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 400 people with the first name Cayli, which placed it at #24,171 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#24,171
National first-name rank
People counted
400
400 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
70.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cayli
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cayli is White at 70.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Hispanic (8.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Cayli described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Cayli at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.0% · 280
- Black or African American10.8% · 43
- Hispanic or Latino8.5% · 34
- Two or more races6.3% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 2
Popularity
Cayli: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cayli from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 170 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cayli 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 Cayli 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 Cayli
The name Cayli is believed to have its origins in the ancient Celtic language, which was spoken by various tribes and peoples across Europe, including parts of modern-day Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and France. The name is thought to be derived from the Gaelic word "caol," which means "slender" or "slim."
In early Celtic culture, physical attributes were often celebrated and incorporated into personal names, reflecting the value placed on strength, agility, and beauty. The name Cayli may have been bestowed upon individuals who possessed a slender or graceful physique, though its exact meaning and significance have been subject to various interpretations over the centuries.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Cayli can be traced back to medieval Ireland, where it appears in ancient genealogical records and historical texts. However, its usage was likely more widespread among the Celtic tribes that inhabited other regions of Europe during that time period.
One of the notable historical figures bearing the name Cayli was a 12th-century Irish princess and daughter of the King of Ulster. Her name was recorded as Cayli Ní Lochlainn, and she played a significant role in the political and cultural landscape of Ireland during her lifetime.
In the realm of literature, the name Cayli appears in several ancient Celtic myths and legends, often associated with characters renowned for their beauty, grace, or supernatural abilities. One such example is the tale of Cayli the Fair, a legendary figure from Irish folklore who was said to possess unparalleled beauty and the power to enchant all who gazed upon her.
Moving forward in history, the name Cayli gained popularity in various regions of Europe, particularly in Scotland and parts of England. In the 16th century, Cayli Douglas, a Scottish noblewoman and courtier at the court of King James VI, was known for her wit and intellect, and her name has been recorded in historical accounts of the time.
Another notable figure was Cayli Brontë, a 19th-century English author and the younger sister of the famous Brontë sisters, Charlotte and Emily. Though overshadowed by her more famous siblings, Cayli was a talented writer in her own right and contributed to the literary legacy of the Brontë family.
Over the centuries, the name Cayli has continued to be used across various cultures and regions, though its popularity has fluctuated. Today, it remains a unique and distinctive name, carrying with it the echoes of its ancient Celtic roots and the stories of those who have borne it throughout history.
People
Cayli + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cayli 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
Cayli: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cayli?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 445 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cayli 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 770,234 US residents.
Is Cayli a common name?
We classify Cayli as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 453 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cayli most popular?
The single biggest year for Cayli was 1999, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cayli is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cayli in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 400 people with the name Cayli, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #24,171 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Cayli in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Cayli?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cayli appears almost entirely female. Of the 397 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Cayli?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cayli is White at 70.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Hispanic (8.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Cayli most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Cayli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.0% (280 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Cayli in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cayli a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cayli 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 Cayli still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cayli 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 Cayli 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.
How many people are called Cayli?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.