Jayleigh
A feminine combination of names meaning "bright meadow for wanderers."
Name Census estimates that about 1,498 living Americans carry the first name Jayleigh. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jayleigh today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jayleigh births was 2011 (101 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jayleigh. 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
- • Jayleigh is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 13 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.5K
~ 1 in 228,808 Americans
Peak year
2011
101 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,138
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Jayleigh: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jayleigh from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 812 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Jayleigh remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jayleigh 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 Jayleigh during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jayleighs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 19 states and territories. Texas, Georgia, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Jayleigh, while Pennsylvania, New York, Mississippi recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 25 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jayleigh
The name Jayleigh is a relatively modern invention, emerging in the late 20th century. It is a combination of the names Jayden and Leigh, both of which have distinct origins and meanings. The name Jayden is derived from the Hebrew name Jaiden, which means "God has heard." This name has its roots in ancient Jewish culture and can be traced back to biblical times. The name Leigh, on the other hand, originates from an Old English word "leah," meaning a meadow or woodland clearing. It was initially used as a surname in Britain before gaining popularity as a given name.
While the name Jayleigh itself does not have a long historical lineage, it has gained traction in recent decades, particularly in English-speaking countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. This fusion of two names from different linguistic backgrounds reflects the growing trend of creating unique and distinctive names by blending traditional options.
In terms of historical references or famous individuals bearing the name Jayleigh, there are few notable examples due to its relatively recent emergence. However, there are individuals with the names Jayden and Leigh who have made their mark throughout history.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jayden can be found in the Bible, where it is mentioned as the name of a minor character. In more recent times, Jayden Smith, the son of actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, born in 1998, has gained recognition in the entertainment industry.
As for the name Leigh, it has been used by several notable figures throughout history. Sir Leigh Ashton (1897-1983) was a British military officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration awarded for valor in the British Armed Forces. Leigh Hunt (1784-1859) was an English essayist, poet, and critic, known for his contributions to the Romantic movement in literature.
Another famous bearer of the name Leigh was Vivien Leigh (1913-1967), the renowned British actress who won two Academy Awards for her performances in Gone with the Wind (1939) and A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). Leigh Brackett (1915-1978) was an American writer, particularly known for her contributions to the science fiction genre and for her work on the screenplay for the film The Empire Strikes Back.
While the name Jayleigh itself may not have a long and storied history, it represents the blending of two distinct names with rich cultural and linguistic backgrounds, reflecting the diversity and creativity of modern name-giving practices.
People
Jayleigh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jayleigh as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jayleigh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jayleigh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,498 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jayleigh 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 228,808 US residents.
Is Jayleigh a common name?
We classify Jayleigh as "Rare". It ranks above 92.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,512 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jayleigh most popular?
The single biggest year for Jayleigh was 2011, when 101 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jayleigh is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jayleigh a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jayleigh 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.