Wylee
Of uncertain origin, possibly derived from "wili" meaning "trickster" or "wile."
Name Census estimates that about 591 living Americans carry the first name Wylee. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 72.7% of registrations being male. The average person named Wylee today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wylee births was 2016 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wylee. 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
591
~ 1 in 579,957 Americans
Peak year
2016
43 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,967
Tracked since 1979
Gender
Gender distribution for Wylee
Wylee is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 597 total registrations, 434 (72.7%) were male and 163 (27.3%) were female.
Wylee as a male name
- Ranked #3,967 in 2024
- 28 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (28 births)
Wylee as a female name
- Ranked #7,907 in 2024
- 14 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (17 births)
Popularity
Wylee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wylee from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 267 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Wylee remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wylee 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 Wylee 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 Wylee
The given name Wylee is believed to have originated from the Old English language, dating back to the early medieval period around the 5th to 11th centuries. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "wil" meaning "will" or "desire" and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing in a forest.
The earliest known recorded instance of the name Wylee can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, a manuscript record of a vast survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this text, the name appears as "Willeah," which is considered a precursor to the modern spelling of Wylee.
One of the earliest notable historical figures to bear this name was Wylee of Wiltshire, a wealthy landowner and nobleman who lived in the 12th century. He was known for his involvement in the construction of several churches and monasteries in the region.
Another prominent individual with this name was Sir Wylee Fitzherbert, a 14th-century English knight and military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France. He was renowned for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
In the 16th century, Wylee Wycliffe, an English scholar and theologian, played a significant role in the translation of the Bible into the English vernacular. His work paved the way for the eventual creation of the King James Bible.
During the 17th century, Wylee Prynne was a notable English pamphleteer and author who challenged the authority of the monarchy and the Church of England. His outspoken views led to his imprisonment and the infamous mutilation of having his ears cropped.
Lastly, Wylee Thornton was a British explorer and adventurer in the 19th century who is credited with being one of the first European explorers to document the interior regions of Australia. His detailed accounts and maps of the continent were instrumental in the early colonization efforts.
Throughout its long history, the name Wylee has maintained a sense of strength, resilience, and determination, reflecting its roots in the Old English language and the character of those who bore this name.
People
Wylee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wylee as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Wylee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wylee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 591 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wylee 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 579,957 US residents.
Is Wylee a common name?
We classify Wylee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 597 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wylee most popular?
The single biggest year for Wylee was 2016, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wylee is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Wylee a male name?
Yes, 72.7% of people registered as Wylee in the SSA data are male. 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.