NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Kailey

A feminine diminutive of Kayla, from the Irish name Cailin meaning "girl".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Kailey is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Kailey popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4709, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2003, with 12 births.

This profile covers 146 England and Wales registrations across 25 recorded years from 1996 to 2023. 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 33% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 174 living people in the UK are called Kailey. 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 2024 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Kailey ranked #4709 for girls in England and Wales in 2023, with 4 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2003, when 12 girls were registered as Kailey.
  • Kailey ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #419 in 2009.
  • About 174 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kailey as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4709

2023

Births in 2023

4

Latest year

Peak year

2003

12 births

Estimated living

174

2026

Meaning

What does Kailey mean?

The name Kailey is an English feminine name derived from the Gaelic name Cailin, which means "girl" or "young woman." It is a variant spelling of the more common name Kaylee or Kayleigh. The name's origins can be traced back to the medieval Gaelic language spoken in Scotland and Ireland.

Cailin was originally a Scottish and Irish term used as a general description for a young woman or girl, rather than a formal given name. It gained popularity as a first name in the late 20th century, likely due to the increasing trend of using traditional Gaelic names in English-speaking countries.

The earliest recorded use of Kailey as a given name is relatively recent, with records showing it appearing in the late 20th century. However, the name's roots in the Gaelic language and culture date back several centuries.

Throughout history, there are a few notable individuals who have borne the name Kailey or its variants. One such person is Kailey Lafreniere (born 1990), a Canadian former competitive figure skater who represented Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Another notable Kailey is Kailey Kurachenski (born 1992), a Canadian former competitive swimmer who specialized in the breaststroke events. She won a bronze medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

In literature, Kailey is the name of a character in the young adult novel "Fade" by Lisa McMann, which was published in 2009. The book follows the story of a teenage girl named Janie who has the ability to become invisible.

Kailey Musso (born 1995) is an American actress known for her roles in the Disney Channel series "Wizards of Waverly Place" and the Nickelodeon series "Sam & Cat."

Lastly, Kailey Roberts (born 1975) is a Canadian country music singer and songwriter. She has released several albums and has had several charting singles on the Canadian country music charts.

While the name Kailey is relatively modern, its roots in the Gaelic language and culture give it a rich historical significance, and its increasing popularity in recent decades has led to its association with notable individuals across various fields.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Kailey over time

The chart below shows babies named Kailey registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Kailey, the clearest high point is 2003. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2023, compared with 12 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Kailey
036912199620092023

Decades

Kailey by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kailey 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 #5189 7 2
2010s #4918 36 9
2000s #2636 75 10
1990s #2196 28 4

Geography

Where Kailey is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kailey. 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.

Kailey ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #419 in 2009.

Scotland
4
Northern Ireland
3

Across the UK

Kailey in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#653 in 2015

5 years of NRS records, 18 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#419 in 2009

3 years of NISRA records, 11 total registered

Related

Names similar to Kailey

FAQ

Kailey: questions and answers

How popular is the name Kailey in the UK right now?

In 2023, Kailey was ranked #4709 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.

When was Kailey most popular?

The peak year on record was 2003, with 12 babies registered as Kailey in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Kailey?

A feminine diminutive of Kayla, from the Irish name Cailin meaning "girl".

How many people are called Kailey in the UK?

A total of 146 babies have been registered as Kailey across the 25 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 18 more in Scotland and 11 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Kailey most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Kailey ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #419 in 2009. 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.