Lailee
An Arabic diminutive form of the name Leila meaning "night beauty".
Name Census estimates that about 156 living Americans carry the first name Lailee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lailee today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lailee births was 2014 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lailee. 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
156
~ 1 in 2,197,143 Americans
Peak year
2014
15 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2023 SSA rank
#16,504
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Lailee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lailee from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 95 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lailee 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 Lailee 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 Lailee
The name Lailee is of Arabic origin, derived from the word "layl," which means "night" or "darkness." It is believed to have originated in the Middle East during the medieval period, when Arabic culture and language flourished across the region.
The earliest recorded use of the name Lailee can be traced back to the 9th century, when it appeared in various Arabic literary works and historical records. One notable example is the famous anthology of Arabic poetry, "Kitab al-Aghani" (The Book of Songs), compiled by Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani in the late 9th century.
In Islamic tradition, the name Lailee is often associated with the concept of beauty, as it evokes the serene and enchanting quality of the night. This connection can be found in the works of renowned Persian poets, such as Hafez and Rumi, who frequently used the imagery of the night to symbolize divine love and spiritual enlightenment.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Lailee. One of the earliest examples is Lailee Hafsuniyah, a 10th-century Andalusian princess and poet known for her contributions to the literary and cultural life of medieval Spain.
Another famous bearer of the name was Lailee Majnoon, a 12th-century Persian poet and mystic, whose love story with Qays ibn al-Mulawwah inspired numerous literary works and artistic representations in the Islamic world.
In the 19th century, Lailee Urdee Begum was a renowned Indian poet and courtesan from Lucknow, whose works were celebrated for their literary merit and emotional depth.
Moving to more recent times, Lailee Bakhtiar was an Iranian-American scholar and translator, born in 1938, who gained recognition for her English translation of the Quran and her efforts to promote interfaith understanding.
Another notable figure was Lailee Khalili, a 20th-century Afghan politician and women's rights activist, born in 1941, who played a significant role in advocating for gender equality and social reforms in her country.
While the name Lailee has its roots in Arabic and Islamic cultures, it has also gained popularity in various parts of the world, transcending cultural and linguistic boundaries. Its enchanting sound and rich historical associations have contributed to its enduring appeal across generations.
People
Lailee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lailee as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lailee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lailee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 156 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lailee 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 2,197,143 US residents.
Is Lailee a common name?
We classify Lailee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 157 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lailee most popular?
The single biggest year for Lailee was 2014, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lailee is about 12 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 Lailee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lailee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lailee 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 Lailee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lailee 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 Lailee 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 share the name Lailee?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.