Kayley
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- KAY-lee
- Origin
- Modern
- UK rank, 2025
- #5,990 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #3,388 for girls
Kayley is a girls' name of Modern origin. In 2025 it ranked 5,990th for girls in the UK (3 babies) and 3,388th for girls in the US (45 babies).
What does Kayley mean?
Modern: variant of Kayleigh, a blend of Kay and Leigh
The spelling Kayleigh spread in Britain after Marillion's 1985 hit song of that name.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Kayley a girl's or a boy's name?
Kayley is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 3 girls in the UK and 45 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Kayley in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #5,990among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 3about 1 in 93,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling fastdown 74% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 3 girls in the UK were named Kayley, making it the 5,990th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,630th. Its busiest year was 1996, with 140 girls.
Half of all the girls named Kayley in the UK since 1996 were born between 1999 and 2007. 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 Kayley or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #785, up from #5,990 for this spelling alone.
Among girls in 2025, it was 5,925th in England and Wales.
Kayley in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | #5,990 |
| 2024 | 0 | – |
| 2023 | 3 | #5,929 |
| 2022 | 3 | #5,885 |
| 2021 | 6 | #3,697 |
| 2020 | 6 | #3,630 |
| 2019 | 5 | #4,214 |
| 2018 | 12 | #2,320 |
| 2017 | 8 | #3,102 |
| 2016 | 18 | #1,781 |
| 2015 | 13 | #2,186 |
| 2014 | 15 | #1,976 |
| 2013 | 19 | #1,662 |
| 2012 | 35 | #1,078 |
| 2011 | 29 | #1,216 |
| 2010 | 44 | #872 |
| 2009 | 55 | #722 |
| 2008 | 52 | #739 |
| 2007 | 78 | #534 |
| 2006 | 100 | #446 |
| 2005 | 68 | #537 |
| 2004 | 93 | #427 |
| 2003 | 104 | #388 |
| 2002 | 77 | #461 |
| 2001 | 88 | #406 |
| 2000 | 100 | #371 |
| 1999 | 106 | #343 |
| 1998 | 108 | #356 |
| 1997 | 111 | #343 |
| 1996 | 140 | #288 |
How popular is Kayley in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,388among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 45about 1 in 36,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 38% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 45 girls in the US were named Kayley, making it the 3,388th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,241st. Its busiest year was 1999, with 461 girls. It first appears in the records in 1977.
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Kayley than any year since 1985.
Half of all the girls named Kayley in the US since 1880 were born between 1998 and 2009, the years shaded on the chart below.
Kayley in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 45 | #3,388 |
| 2024 | 49 | #3,225 |
| 2023 | 56 | #2,975 |
| 2022 | 71 | #2,510 |
| 2021 | 63 | #2,715 |
| 2020 | 80 | #2,241 |
| 2019 | 65 | #2,651 |
| 2018 | 97 | #2,014 |
| 2017 | 100 | #1,976 |
| 2016 | 125 | #1,704 |
| 2015 | 132 | #1,622 |
| 2014 | 143 | #1,526 |
| 2013 | 181 | #1,292 |
| 2012 | 218 | #1,128 |
| 2011 | 211 | #1,160 |
| 2010 | 231 | #1,075 |
| 2009 | 288 | #929 |
| 2008 | 349 | #819 |
| 2007 | 338 | #840 |
| 2006 | 383 | #732 |
| 2005 | 438 | #638 |
| 2004 | 411 | #666 |
| 2003 | 377 | #692 |
| 2002 | 332 | #734 |
| 2001 | 375 | #669 |
| 2000 | 388 | #645 |
| 1999 | 461 | #548 |
| 1998 | 446 | #555 |
| 1997 | 259 | #802 |
| 1996 | 256 | #803 |
| 1995 | 206 | #911 |
| 1994 | 235 | #847 |
| 1993 | 200 | #942 |
| 1992 | 197 | #967 |
| 1991 | 157 | #1,125 |
| 1990 | 142 | #1,194 |
| 1989 | 147 | #1,120 |
| 1988 | 103 | #1,375 |
| 1987 | 79 | #1,580 |
| 1986 | 66 | #1,750 |
| 1985 | 39 | #2,483 |
| 1984 | 17 | #4,317 |
| 1983 | 7 | #8,045 |
| 1982 | 9 | #6,886 |
| 1981 | 9 | #6,802 |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 5 | #9,650 |
Nicknames for Kayley
- Kay 3 girls in the UK in 2025
Names like Kayley
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Keira Kiara Ffion Eden Riley Caoimhe Cassidy Niamh Caitlin Lainey Teagan Caragh
Other spellings of Kayley
Names related to Kayley
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, “Kayley: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kayley, updated 20 October 2026.