Karilee
A feminine name combining "Kari" meaning "pure" and "lee" meaning "meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 39 living Americans carry the first name Karilee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Karilee today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Karilee births was 1980 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Karilee. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Karilee. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
39
~ 1 in 8,788,573 Americans
Peak year
1980
6 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
1988 SSA rank
#10,999
Tracked since 1961
Popularity
Karilee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Karilee from the 1960s through to the 1980s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 23 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Karilee 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 Karilee 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 Karilee
The name Karilee is a modern English feminine name that emerged in the 20th century. It is a combination of the names Karen and Lee, blending their meanings and origins. While its exact roots are unclear, it is believed to have gained popularity as a creative name choice for baby girls.
The name Karen is derived from the ancient Greek word "Katerina," which means "pure." It has been used throughout history and has been a popular name in various cultures, particularly in Christian communities. The name Lee, on the other hand, is an English surname that originated from a place name, likely referring to a meadow or a clearing in a forest.
There are no known historical references or mentions of the name Karilee in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records. Its emergence as a given name seems to be a relatively recent phenomenon, likely within the past century or so.
While there may not be many famous historical figures with the name Karilee, here are a few notable individuals who have borne this name:
1. Karilee Shaughnessy (born 1934), an American actress and singer known for her roles in television shows and films in the 1950s and 1960s.
2. Karilee Keesling (born 1975), an American professional wrestler and valet, better known by her ring name Marlena.
3. Karilee Camaren (born 1988), an American actress and model who has appeared in various television shows and films.
4. Karilee Dugdale (born 1978), an Australian actress and model who has worked in television, film, and theater productions.
5. Karilee Eldridge (born 1965), an American artist and sculptor known for her large-scale public art installations and sculptures.
It is worth noting that while the name Karilee has been in use for some time, it has never been among the most popular given names for baby girls in most English-speaking countries. Its unique blend of sounds and meanings has contributed to its appeal as a distinctive and modern name choice.
People
Karilee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Karilee as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Karilee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Karilee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 39 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Karilee 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 8,788,573 US residents.
Is Karilee a common name?
We classify Karilee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 50.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 43 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Karilee most popular?
The single biggest year for Karilee was 1980, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Karilee is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Karilee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Karilee 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.