Haeleigh
A feminine name of English origin representing a combination of the names "Hayley" and "Leigh."
Name Census estimates that about 143 living Americans carry the first name Haeleigh. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Haeleigh today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Haeleigh births was 2005 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Haeleigh. 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
143
~ 1 in 2,396,883 Americans
Peak year
2005
14 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2012 SSA rank
#9,293
Tracked since 1993
Popularity
Haeleigh: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Haeleigh from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 85 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
Haeleigh 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 Haeleigh 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 Haeleigh
The name Haeleigh is an anglicized spelling of the Old English name Haeliha, which means "dweller by the holy meadow." It finds its origins in the early medieval period of England, around the 7th to 10th centuries AD. This name was common among the Anglo-Saxon inhabitants of areas such as Wessex, Mercia, and Northumbria.
The first recorded use of the name Haeliha can be traced back to a charter from the year 695 AD, which mentions a landowner by that name in the region of modern-day Somerset. Another early reference is found in the Venerable Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, written in the 8th century, where a nun named Haeliha is mentioned.
One notable figure bearing this name was Haeliha of Malmesbury, a Benedictine monk who lived in the early 11th century and served as the abbot of Malmesbury Abbey in Wiltshire. He was renowned for his scholarship and his efforts in preserving ancient manuscripts.
In the 12th century, a woman named Haeliha of Flanders gained recognition for her skill in embroidery and her intricate tapestries, which were commissioned by nobility across Europe. Some of her works can still be found in museums today.
Another individual of historical significance was Haeliha the Skald, a Norse poet and storyteller who lived in the 9th century and is credited with composing the epic poem "The Saga of Haeliha," which recounts the adventures of a legendary Viking warrior.
During the Middle Ages, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Hæliha, Haelitha, and Haeligha, before evolving into the modern form of Haeleigh in the 19th century. It remains a relatively uncommon name, particularly in its current spelling.
People
Haeleigh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Haeleigh as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Haeleigh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Haeleigh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 143 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Haeleigh 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 2,396,883 US residents.
Is Haeleigh a common name?
We classify Haeleigh as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 146 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Haeleigh most popular?
The single biggest year for Haeleigh was 2005, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Haeleigh is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Haeleigh a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Haeleigh 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.