UK girl's name
Hailey
A unisex name of English origin meaning "hay meadow" or "hay's meadow".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Hailey is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Hailey popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #395, with 109 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2023, with 112 births.
This profile covers 1,001 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 97% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 1,432 living people in the UK are called Hailey. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Hailey ranked #395 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 109 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2023, when 112 girls were registered as Hailey.
- • Hailey ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #134 in 2024.
- • About 1,432 living people in the UK are estimated to have Hailey as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#395
2024
Births in 2024
109
Latest year
Peak year
2023
112 births
Estimated living
1,432
2026
Meaning
What does Hailey mean?
The name Hailey is an English given name derived from the surname Hayley, which originated as a place name in Cambridgeshire, England. The place name Hayley is thought to have derived from the Old English words "hæg" meaning "hay" and "leah" meaning "clearing" or "meadow". Thus, the name Hailey likely meant "hay clearing" or "meadow of hay".
In the Middle Ages, the surname Hayley was first recorded in various spellings such as Hayley, Hailey, and Hayly. It was not until the 19th century that the spelling Hailey became more common as a first name for girls. One of the earliest known bearers of the name Hailey was Hailey Westbrooke, born in 1820 in Gloucestershire, England.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Hailey. Hailey Comet, born in 1835, was a British astronomer known for his study of the periodic comet that bears his name. Hailey Atwell, born in 1982, is a British actress best known for her role as Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Hailey Mills, born in 1946, is a British actress who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 1960 film "Pollyanna". Hailey Bieber, born in 1996, is an American model and television personality who is married to singer Justin Bieber.
Hailey Gates, born in 1989, is an American tennis player who has won several singles and doubles titles on the WTA Tour. These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Hailey throughout history.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Hailey over time
The chart below shows babies named Hailey registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Hailey, the clearest high point is 2023. The latest England and Wales figure is 109 births in 2024, compared with 112 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hailey by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Hailey was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #463 | 466 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1168 | 309 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1452 | 177 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1581 | 49 | 4 |
Geography
Where Hailey is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Hailey. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Hailey ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #134 in 2024.
Across the UK
Hailey in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#176 in 2024
36 years of NRS records, 322 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#134 in 2024
15 years of NISRA records, 116 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Hailey
-
Hailey Duff
curler
Scottish female curler
1997-
-
Hailey Chan
actor
Hong Kong model
1988-
Related
Names similar to Hailey
- Hannah 67,635
- Holly 52,307
- Harriet 24,781
- Hollie 17,902
- Harper 15,784
- Heidi 12,675
- Hallie 9,873
- Hope 9,414
- Hayley 5,968
- Hazel 5,954
- Hanna 5,735
- Heather 5,497
FAQ
Hailey: questions and answers
How popular is the name Hailey in the UK right now?
In 2024, Hailey was ranked #395 for girls in England and Wales, with 109 births registered.
When was Hailey most popular?
The peak year on record was 2023, with 112 babies registered as Hailey in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Hailey?
A unisex name of English origin meaning "hay meadow" or "hay's meadow".
How many people are called Hailey in the UK?
A total of 1,001 babies have been registered as Hailey across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 322 more in Scotland and 116 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Hailey most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Hailey ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #134 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.