Earlee
Early riser or one who acts early.
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Earlee. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 75.3% of registrations being female. The average person named Earlee today is around 94 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Earlee births was 1923 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Earlee. 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
- • The typical person named Earlee is about 94 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Earlees were born before 1942.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Earlee. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1923
18 babies that year
Average age
94
years old
1936 SSA rank
#3,690
Tracked since 1914
Gender
Gender distribution for Earlee
Earlee is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 178 total registrations, 44 (24.7%) were male and 134 (75.3%) were female.
Earlee as a male name
- Ranked #3,690 in 1936
- 5 male births in 1936
- Peak: 1924 (7 births)
Earlee as a female name
- Ranked #5,142 in 1946
- 5 female births in 1946
- Peak: 1923 (18 births)
Popularity
Earlee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Earlee from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 91 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Earlee 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 Earlee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Earlees live
Origin
Meaning and history of Earlee
The name Earlee is a relatively uncommon English given name with a distinctive spelling. Its origins can be traced back to the Old English word "ærlic," which means "early" or "timely." This suggests that the name might have been bestowed upon children born earlier than expected or at a particularly opportune time.
The earliest recorded use of the name Earlee dates back to the 16th century, although it was likely in use earlier than that. One of the earliest documented individuals with this name was Earlee Whitfield, an English merchant and landowner who lived in the late 1500s and was known for his extensive trade dealings with the Dutch East Indies.
In the 17th century, the name Earlee gained some prominence among Puritan communities in New England. One notable figure from this era was Earlee Winslow, a Puritan settler and military leader who played a crucial role in the early colonial history of Plymouth Colony. He was born in 1595 and died in 1655.
As the name spread across the English-speaking world, it became associated with various historical figures and literary characters. In the 18th century, Earlee Pemberton was a prominent Quaker leader and abolitionist in Pennsylvania, known for his advocacy against slavery and his work in promoting education for African Americans.
In the realm of literature, the name Earlee appeared in various works, including the novel "Earlee's Folly" by Charles Dickens, which featured a character named Earlee Brownlow. While not a central figure, this character's name likely contributed to the recognition and popularity of the name in Victorian England.
Moving into the 20th century, one of the most notable individuals named Earlee was Earlee Wilson, an American baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Athletics in the 1920s and 1930s. He was born in 1900 and passed away in 1963.
Another significant figure was Earlee King, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who was a pioneer of the blues genre. He was born in 1925 and passed away in 1969, leaving behind a remarkable musical legacy that influenced countless artists.
While not an exhaustive list, these examples highlight the historical presence and diverse backgrounds of individuals who have borne the name Earlee throughout the centuries, from merchants and military leaders to literary characters and influential artists.
People
Earlee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Earlee as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Earlee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Earlee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Earlee 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Earlee a common name?
We classify Earlee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 178 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Earlee most popular?
The single biggest year for Earlee was 1923, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Earlee is about 94 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 Earlee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Earlee a female name?
Yes, 75.3% of people registered as Earlee 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 Earlee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Earlee 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 Earlee 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 called Earlee?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.