UK girl's name
Kayli
An American feminine name meaning "form of Kaylie," itself a variant of Kelly.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2012. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Kayli is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Kayli popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2012 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4838, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2005, with 6 births.
This profile covers 42 England and Wales registrations across 11 recorded years from 1996 to 2012. 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 67% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 42 living people in the UK are called Kayli. 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 2013 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Kayli ranked #4838 for girls in England and Wales in 2012, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2005, when 6 girls were registered as Kayli.
- • About 42 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kayli as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4838
2012
Births in 2012
4
Latest year
Peak year
2005
6 births
Estimated living
42
2026
Meaning
What does Kayli mean?
The name Kayli is believed to have originated from the Old English language, where it was derived from the Germanic word "kal," meaning "bald" or "bold." This name likely emerged in the early medieval period, around the 5th to 8th centuries, when Anglo-Saxon culture flourished in parts of what is now England and northern Germany.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kayli can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. In this document, there is a record of a landowner named Kayli, who held estates in the county of Gloucestershire.
During the Middle Ages, the name Kayli appeared occasionally in various chronicles and records, although it was not as common as some other names of the time. One notable bearer of the name was Kayli de Montfort, a 13th-century English noblewoman who was a member of the prominent Montfort family and played a role in the Barons' War against King Henry III.
In the 16th century, a Kayli Cromwell was recorded as a member of the household of Thomas Cromwell, the influential adviser to King Henry VIII. This Kayli Cromwell may have been a distant relative of the famous Oliver Cromwell, who later became Lord Protector of England in the 17th century.
Another historical figure who bore the name Kayli was Kayli Raleigh, a 17th-century English explorer and colonist who accompanied Sir Walter Raleigh on expeditions to the Americas. Kayli Raleigh is credited with helping to establish the first English settlement on the island of Roanoke, off the coast of present-day North Carolina.
Moving into the 18th century, a Kayli Austen was recorded as a distant cousin of the renowned novelist Jane Austen. While little is known about Kayli Austen's life, her existence suggests that the name Kayli continued to be used, albeit in a limited capacity, among certain English families during this period.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Kayli over time
The chart below shows babies named Kayli registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2012. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Kayli, the clearest high point is 2005. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2012, compared with 6 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kayli by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kayli 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 | #5312 | 7 | 2 |
| 2000s | #3816 | 26 | 6 |
| 1990s | #3848 | 9 | 3 |
Related
Names similar to Kayli
- Katie 53,185
- Keira 14,411
- Katherine 11,323
- Kayleigh 10,677
- Kate 10,276
- Kelsey 7,224
- Kiera 7,218
- Kayla 6,541
- Kirsty 6,384
- Khadija 5,948
- Kimberley 5,189
- Kaitlyn 5,137
FAQ
Kayli: questions and answers
How popular is the name Kayli in the UK right now?
In 2012, Kayli was ranked #4838 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Kayli most popular?
The peak year on record was 2005, with 6 babies registered as Kayli in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Kayli?
An American feminine name meaning "form of Kaylie," itself a variant of Kelly.
How many people are called Kayli in the UK?
A total of 42 babies have been registered as Kayli across the 11 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.