Kayleigh
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- KAY-lee
- Origin
- Modern
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,324 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #799 for girls
- Style
- Big in Scotland, big in Northern Ireland
Kayleigh is a girls' name of Modern origin. In 2025 it ranked 1,324th for girls in the UK (25 babies) and 799th for girls in the US (340 babies).
What does Kayleigh mean?
Modern: blend of Kay and Leigh
A 20th-century blend of Kay and Leigh; Marillion's 1985 hit song Kayleigh made it widely known in Britain.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Kayleigh a girl's or a boy's name?
Kayleigh is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 25 girls in the UK and 340 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Kayleigh in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,324th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 25 about 1 in 11,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 48% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 25 girls in the UK were named Kayleigh, making it the 1,324th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 987th. Its busiest year was 1996, with 1,404 girls.
Half of all the girls named Kayleigh in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2006. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
In 2025, 45 girls in the UK were given Kayleigh or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #785, up from #1,324 for this spelling alone.
Among girls in 2025, it was 1,639th in England and Wales, 632nd in Scotland and 397th in Northern Ireland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1994 (#52) and 2004 (#88).
Kayleigh in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 25 | #1,324 |
| 2024 | 28 | #1,248 |
| 2023 | 23 | #1,451 |
| 2022 | 42 | #902 |
| 2021 | 29 | #1,231 |
| 2020 | 37 | #987 |
| 2019 | 52 | #790 |
| 2018 | 58 | #744 |
| 2017 | 49 | #851 |
| 2016 | 90 | #525 |
| 2015 | 84 | #559 |
| 2014 | 114 | #424 |
| 2013 | 126 | #392 |
| 2012 | 210 | #265 |
| 2011 | 251 | #225 |
| 2010 | 331 | #178 |
| 2009 | 396 | #156 |
| 2008 | 458 | #130 |
| 2007 | 599 | #101 |
| 2006 | 653 | #94 |
| 2005 | 632 | #92 |
| 2004 | 699 | #82 |
| 2003 | 709 | #80 |
| 2002 | 770 | #73 |
| 2001 | 820 | #70 |
| 2000 | 870 | #63 |
| 1999 | 936 | #63 |
| 1998 | 1,079 | #61 |
| 1997 | 1,355 | #48 |
| 1996 | 1,404 | #52 |
How popular is Kayleigh in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 799th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 340 about 1 in 4,700 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 42% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 340 girls in the US were named Kayleigh, making it the 799th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 435th. Its busiest year was 2009, with 1,450 girls. It first appears in the records in 1984.
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Kayleigh than any year since 1985.
Half of all the girls named Kayleigh in the US since 1880 were born between 1999 and 2013, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 3,361 girls in the US were given Kayleigh or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #89, up from #799 for this spelling alone.
Kayleigh in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 340 | #799 |
| 2024 | 386 | #730 |
| 2023 | 469 | #631 |
| 2022 | 590 | #529 |
| 2021 | 754 | #417 |
| 2020 | 706 | #435 |
| 2019 | 644 | #488 |
| 2018 | 707 | #450 |
| 2017 | 798 | #390 |
| 2016 | 958 | #348 |
| 2015 | 1,008 | #324 |
| 2014 | 1,174 | #278 |
| 2013 | 1,135 | #279 |
| 2012 | 1,227 | #265 |
| 2011 | 1,286 | #246 |
| 2010 | 1,298 | #244 |
| 2009 | 1,450 | #227 |
| 2008 | 1,435 | #239 |
| 2007 | 1,396 | #250 |
| 2006 | 1,230 | #266 |
| 2005 | 1,234 | #265 |
| 2004 | 1,161 | #285 |
| 2003 | 1,072 | #290 |
| 2002 | 945 | #324 |
| 2001 | 962 | #321 |
| 2000 | 885 | #349 |
| 1999 | 818 | #363 |
| 1998 | 793 | #364 |
| 1997 | 690 | #383 |
| 1996 | 633 | #411 |
| 1995 | 598 | #432 |
| 1994 | 576 | #436 |
| 1993 | 621 | #402 |
| 1992 | 627 | #407 |
| 1991 | 658 | #390 |
| 1990 | 620 | #414 |
| 1989 | 609 | #407 |
| 1988 | 565 | #412 |
| 1987 | 537 | #415 |
| 1986 | 748 | #321 |
| 1985 | 211 | #793 |
| 1984 | 7 | #8,149 |
Names like Kayleigh
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Keira, Caoimhe, Caragh, Kiara, Cassidy, Teagan, Ffion, Eden, Aoibheann, Caitlin, Raegan, Eilidh
Other spellings of Kayleigh
Kaylee, Ceilidh, Kayley, Kaeli, Keily, Kailey, Kaylie, Kailee, Caeli, Caylee, Keyli, Kaleigh, Kaely
Names related to Kayleigh
Caleigh, Cayleigh, Keyleigh, Kayliegh, Kaileigh, Kyleigh, Kaleigha, Kalleigh, Kaeleigh
More Modern names
Jayden, Ailany, Myla, Kayden, Nevaeh, Jax, Indie, Miley, Raelynn, Kaiden, Kehlani, Alayna, Caden, Zayden, Wrenley, Mya
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Kayleigh: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kayleigh, updated 20 October 2026.