Mailee
A feminine Hawaiian name meaning "leafy green branch".
Name Census estimates that about 614 living Americans carry the first name Mailee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mailee today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mailee births was 2008 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mailee. 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
614
~ 1 in 558,232 Americans
Peak year
2008
38 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,222
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Mailee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mailee from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 250 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Mailee remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mailee 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 Mailee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mailees live
Origin
Meaning and history of Mailee
The given name Mailee has its origins in Hawaiian culture and language. It is a variation of the Hawaiian name Mailelani, which means "heavenly lei" or "lei from heaven." The name is derived from the Hawaiian words maile, referring to a type of evergreen vine used for making leis, and lani, meaning "heaven" or "sky."
This name became popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as Hawaii's rich cultural heritage gained wider recognition. The name Mailee is believed to have first appeared in written records during this period, reflecting the growing appreciation for traditional Hawaiian names and their symbolic meanings.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Mailee was a Hawaiian woman named Mailee Kahele, born in 1885 on the island of Oahu. She was known for her expertise in traditional Hawaiian arts and crafts, particularly in the making of intricate leis.
Another notable figure was Mailee Kalani, a Hawaiian hula dancer and teacher who lived from 1901 to 1978. She was instrumental in preserving and promoting the traditional hula dance, and her teachings had a significant impact on the cultural renaissance of Hawaii in the mid-20th century.
In the realm of literature, Mailee Kekuhi was a Hawaiian author and poet who gained recognition in the early 20th century. Her works, published between 1920 and 1945, celebrated the beauty and richness of Hawaiian culture, often drawing inspiration from ancient chants and legends.
Moving to the present day, one of the most famous individuals with the name Mailee is Mailee Smith, a Hawaiian artist and activist born in 1947. Her vibrant paintings and sculptures depict scenes from Hawaiian life and nature, reflecting her deep connection to her cultural roots.
Another notable figure is Mailee Kahele-Madigan, born in 1962, a Hawaiian educator and advocate for indigenous rights. She has dedicated her life to preserving and promoting the Hawaiian language and culture, working tirelessly to ensure their continued survival and growth.
Throughout history, the name Mailee has been a symbol of Hawaii's rich cultural heritage, evoking the beauty and natural splendor of the islands. Its resonance with traditional Hawaiian values and the significance of leis in Hawaiian culture have made it a cherished name among Hawaiian communities.
People
Mailee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mailee as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mailee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mailee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 614 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mailee 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 558,232 US residents.
Is Mailee a common name?
We classify Mailee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 624 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mailee most popular?
The single biggest year for Mailee was 2008, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mailee is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mailee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mailee 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.