NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Karleigh

Feminine variation of the English name Karla, itself a contracted form of Charles or Karl.

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2015. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Karleigh is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Karleigh popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2015 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4103, with 5 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1997, with 6 births.

This profile covers 36 England and Wales registrations across 9 recorded years from 1996 to 2015. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, 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 83% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 36 living people in the UK are called Karleigh. 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 2016 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Karleigh ranked #4103 for girls in England and Wales in 2015, with 5 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 1997, when 6 girls were registered as Karleigh.
  • About 36 living people in the UK are estimated to have Karleigh as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4103

2015

Births in 2015

5

Latest year

Peak year

1997

6 births

Estimated living

36

2026

Meaning

What does Karleigh mean?

The given name Karleigh is a modern English variant of the Germanic name Karlene, which itself is derived from the Old Germanic word "karl" meaning "man" or "freeman." The name traces its origins back to the early medieval period, around the 5th to 6th centuries AD, when Germanic tribes dominated large parts of Europe.

Karleigh is closely related to the more common name Charles, which also stems from the same Germanic root word "karl." The name Charles gained widespread popularity across Europe due to the fame of Charlemagne, the ruler of the Frankish Empire in the 8th and 9th centuries AD. Charlemagne, whose name literally means "Charles the Great," was a significant historical figure who united much of Western and Central Europe under his rule.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with a name similar to Karleigh was Karloman, the younger brother of Charlemagne, who lived from 751 to 771 AD. Karloman was a Frankish prince and the son of Pepin the Short, the first Carolingian King of the Franks.

Another notable historical figure with a name related to Karleigh was Karlmann, the Duke of Bavaria, who ruled from 628 to 640 AD. He was a member of the Agilolfing dynasty and played a crucial role in the consolidation of Bavarian territories during the early medieval period.

In the 12th century, there was a prominent noble named Karlmann von Jülich, who lived from 1184 to 1218. He was a count of the County of Jülich, located in present-day Germany, and was known for his military exploits during the German campaigns of the Holy Roman Empire.

During the 16th century, the name Karleigh had a variant spelling, Carlyle, which was used by several notable individuals. One such person was Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish philosopher and essayist, who lived from 1795 to 1881. He was a influential figure in the Victorian era and is best known for his works such as "Sartor Resartus" and "The French Revolution."

Another individual with the name Carlyle was Jane Welsh Carlyle, the wife of Thomas Carlyle, who lived from 1801 to 1866. She was a prominent figure in her own right, known for her witty and insightful letters, which provided valuable insights into the literary and social circles of 19th-century Britain.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Karleigh over time

The chart below shows babies named Karleigh registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2015. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Karleigh, the clearest high point is 1997. The latest England and Wales figure is 5 births in 2015, compared with 6 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Karleigh
02356199620052015

Decades

Karleigh by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Karleigh 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
2010s #4421 9 2
2000s #4508 17 5
1990s #2769 10 2

Related

Names similar to Karleigh

FAQ

Karleigh: questions and answers

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

In 2015, Karleigh was ranked #4103 for girls in England and Wales, with 5 births registered.

When was Karleigh most popular?

The peak year on record was 1997, with 6 babies registered as Karleigh in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Karleigh?

Feminine variation of the English name Karla, itself a contracted form of Charles or Karl.

How many people are called Karleigh in the UK?

A total of 36 babies have been registered as Karleigh across the 9 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

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.