Conleigh
A masculine given name of Gaelic origin meaning "puppy king".
Name Census estimates that about 113 living Americans carry the first name Conleigh. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Conleigh today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Conleigh births was 2018 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Conleigh. 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
113
~ 1 in 3,033,224 Americans
Peak year
2018
14 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,806
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Conleigh: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Conleigh 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 73 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Conleigh remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Conleigh 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 Conleigh 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 Conleigh
The name Conleigh is a relatively modern given name that has its origins in the ancient Irish language. It is thought to be a combination of the Gaelic words "con" meaning wise or prudent, and "leith" meaning gray or hoary. The name therefore suggests someone who possesses wisdom and experience beyond their years.
While the name Conleigh is not found in ancient Irish texts or historical records, it is believed to have been derived from similar names such as Conleth or Conlaed, which were more common in medieval Ireland. The earliest recorded use of the name Conleigh dates back to the late 19th century, but it remained relatively rare until the latter half of the 20th century.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Conleigh was Conleigh Parker, an American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1910s. Another early bearer of the name was Conleigh Gilligan, an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in the 1920s.
In the mid-20th century, Conleigh McDonald was a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1953 to 1966. Around the same time, Conleigh Whitman was an American author and journalist who wrote several books on travel and adventure in the 1950s and 1960s.
More recently, Conleigh Gilmore was a British actor and writer who appeared in several television shows and films in the late 20th century, including roles in the popular series "The Bill" and "Casualty." He was born in 1949 and passed away in 2007.
While not a traditional Irish name, Conleigh has gained popularity in recent decades, particularly in English-speaking countries with Irish heritage. Its unique and distinctive sound, combined with its roots in ancient Gaelic language and culture, have contributed to its appeal as a given name for both boys and girls.
People
Conleigh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Conleigh 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
Conleigh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Conleigh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 113 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Conleigh 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 3,033,224 US residents.
Is Conleigh a common name?
We classify Conleigh as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 114 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Conleigh most popular?
The single biggest year for Conleigh was 2018, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Conleigh is about 10 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 Conleigh in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Conleigh a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Conleigh 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 Conleigh still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Conleigh 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 Conleigh 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 common is the name Conleigh?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Conleigh on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.