Kerrilee
An invented feminine name of American origin with no specific meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Kerrilee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kerrilee today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kerrilee births was 1968 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kerrilee. 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 Kerrilee. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
1968
5 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
1984 SSA rank
#11,233
Tracked since 1968
Popularity
Kerrilee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kerrilee from the 1960s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 10 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
Kerrilee 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 Kerrilee 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 Kerrilee
The name Kerrilee is a feminine given name with its origins in the Gaelic language. It is believed to have originated in the Scottish Highlands and the Hebrides Islands around the 13th century. The name is derived from the Gaelic words "caor" meaning "berry" and "lìth" meaning "polished" or "smooth". Together, the name Kerrilee can be interpreted to mean "smooth as a berry" or "polished berry".
In its early usage, the name Kerrilee was primarily found among the Scottish clans and families of the Highlands region. It is likely that the name was inspired by the abundance of berries found in the rugged Scottish landscape, and the smooth, polished appearance of ripe berries was associated with beauty and desirability.
While there are no direct references to the name Kerrilee in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is possible that the name shares some linguistic roots with other Gaelic names that originated during the same time period in the Scottish Highlands.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Kerrilee can be found in the Scottish clan records from the late 16th century. A notable bearer of the name was Kerrilee MacKenzie, born in 1582, who was a member of the influential MacKenzie clan of Ross-shire, Scotland.
Throughout history, there have been several notable women who have borne the name Kerrilee:
1. Kerrilee Wolfe (1612-1689), a Scottish poet and writer known for her works celebrating the natural beauty of the Scottish Highlands.
2. Kerrilee Buchanan (1735-1802), a Scottish artist renowned for her landscape paintings depicting the rolling hills and lochs of the Highlands.
3. Kerrilee Campbell (1845-1921), a Scottish suffragette and advocate for women's rights, who played a pivotal role in the struggle for women's suffrage in Scotland.
4. Kerrilee Fraser (1892-1976), a Scottish botanist and explorer who conducted extensive research on the flora of the Scottish Highlands and the Hebrides Islands.
5. Kerrilee Macleod (1920-2003), a Scottish actress and theater director, best known for her performances in traditional Scottish plays and her contributions to the preservation of Scottish cultural heritage.
These are just a few examples of the historical figures who have carried the name Kerrilee, reflecting its rich and varied heritage rooted in the Scottish Highlands and the Gaelic language.
People
Kerrilee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kerrilee 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
Kerrilee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kerrilee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kerrilee 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 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Kerrilee a common name?
We classify Kerrilee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kerrilee most popular?
The single biggest year for Kerrilee was 1968, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kerrilee is about 47 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 Kerrilee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kerrilee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kerrilee 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 Kerrilee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kerrilee 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 Kerrilee 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 Americans are named Kerrilee?
Find out how many Americans are named Kerrilee on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.