Zaylei
A feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially blending elements meaning "heavenly" and "blooming".
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the first name Zaylei. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zaylei today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zaylei births was 2020 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zaylei. 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
138
~ 1 in 2,483,727 Americans
Peak year
2020
17 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#17,606
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Zaylei: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zaylei from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 68 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
Zaylei 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 Zaylei 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 Zaylei
The name Zaylei is a relatively modern invention, likely originating in the late 20th or early 21st century. It does not appear to have any definitive roots in a particular language or culture, although it may be inspired by various names or words from different origins.
One possible influence could be the Arabic name Zainab or its variations, which means "fragrant flower" or "beauty." Zaylei may have been created by combining elements of Zainab with the popular American name Hayley or its spelling variants.
Another potential source is the Hebrew name Zillah, which means "shadow" or "shelter." The letter combination "zay" in Zaylei could be derived from this ancient name, albeit with a different pronunciation and meaning.
It is worth noting that there are no recorded instances of the name Zaylei in historical texts, religious scriptures, or ancient records. This suggests that it is a modern coinage, likely influenced by contemporary naming trends and preferences.
While the name Zaylei is relatively new, there have been a few notable individuals who have borne this name in recent years. However, due to its modern nature, there are no famous historical figures or people from distant past associated with this particular name.
One possible early example is Zaylei Baiao, a Brazilian model and social media influencer born in the late 1990s. Another is Zaylei Gonzalez, an American actress and model active in the 2010s.
Overall, Zaylei appears to be a creative and unique name, reflecting the modern trend of blending various linguistic elements to create new and distinctive names. Its exact origins and meaning remain somewhat ambiguous, as it is a relatively recent addition to the vast pool of given names.
People
Zaylei + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zaylei as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zaylei: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zaylei?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 138 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zaylei 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 2,483,727 US residents.
Is Zaylei a common name?
We classify Zaylei as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 139 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zaylei most popular?
The single biggest year for Zaylei was 2020, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zaylei is about 8 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 Zaylei in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zaylei a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zaylei 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 Zaylei still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zaylei 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 Zaylei 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 common is the name Zaylei?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.