UK girl's name
Shayleigh
A feminine name derived from the combination of Shay and Leigh.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2016. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Shayleigh is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Shayleigh popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2016 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5785, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2009, with 18 births.
This profile covers 97 England and Wales registrations across 17 recorded years from 1997 to 2016. 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 17% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 96 living people in the UK are called Shayleigh. 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 2017 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Shayleigh ranked #5785 for girls in England and Wales in 2016, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2009, when 18 girls were registered as Shayleigh.
- • About 96 living people in the UK are estimated to have Shayleigh as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5785
2016
Births in 2016
3
Latest year
Peak year
2009
18 births
Estimated living
96
2026
Meaning
What does Shayleigh mean?
The name Shayleigh is a modern variant of the English name Shelley, which itself is a locational surname derived from the parish of Shelley in Yorkshire, England. The name Shelley is thought to have originated from the Old English words "scielic" meaning "clearing" or "meadow," and "leah" meaning "woodland" or "grove."
The earliest recorded instances of the name Shayleigh can be traced back to the late 20th century, emerging as a creative spelling variation of the more traditional Shelley. While there are no known historical figures of great significance bearing the name Shayleigh, the name Shelley has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history.
One of the most famous bearers of the name Shelley was the renowned English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822). His works, such as "Ozymandias" and "Ode to the West Wind," have become literary classics and have had a profound impact on the poetic tradition.
Another noteworthy individual with the name Shelley was Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851), the author of the groundbreaking Gothic novel "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus." Her work is considered a pioneering work of science fiction and has been widely studied and adapted for various media.
In the realm of film, Shelley Winters (1920-2006) was an accomplished American actress who won multiple Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards for her performances in movies like "The Diary of Anne Frank" and "A Patch of Blue."
Shelley Long (born 1949) is an American actress best known for her role as Diane Chambers on the popular sitcom "Cheers," for which she earned an Emmy Award and two Golden Globe nominations.
In the world of music, Shelley Fabares (born 1944) was a successful American singer and actress who gained fame in the 1960s, starring in the TV series "The Donna Reed Show" and recording several Top 40 hits.
While the name Shayleigh may be a relatively recent invention, it carries with it the rich heritage and literary associations of its parent name, Shelley, which has been a part of the English language for centuries.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Shayleigh over time
The chart below shows babies named Shayleigh registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1997 to 2016. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Shayleigh, the clearest high point is 2009. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2016, compared with 18 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shayleigh by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Shayleigh 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 | #4076 | 32 | 6 |
| 2000s | #3224 | 55 | 8 |
| 1990s | #3622 | 10 | 3 |
Related
Names similar to Shayleigh
- Sophie 103,803
- Sophia 46,936
- Scarlett 34,261
- Sienna 32,418
- Sofia 29,136
- Sarah 27,961
- Shannon 25,510
- Summer 24,167
- Sara 14,205
- Skye 13,654
- Samantha 12,697
- Stephanie 9,309
FAQ
Shayleigh: questions and answers
How popular is the name Shayleigh in the UK right now?
In 2016, Shayleigh was ranked #5785 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Shayleigh most popular?
The peak year on record was 2009, with 18 babies registered as Shayleigh in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Shayleigh?
A feminine name derived from the combination of Shay and Leigh.
How many people are called Shayleigh in the UK?
A total of 97 babies have been registered as Shayleigh across the 17 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.