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Kayleigh

♀ Girl

Pronounced KAY-lee /ˈkeɪ.liː/High

Meaning: Graceful and beautiful; from the Irish Gaelic Cadhla meaning beautiful or graceful, with the -leigh suffix adding an Old English place-name ending meaning meadow or clearingHigh

In 30 seconds: Kayleigh is an Irish Gaelic-inspired spelling of Kaylee meaning graceful and beautiful, combining the Irish Cadhla sound with an Old English -leigh ending, one of the most popular girls names in Britain and the United States since the 1980s.
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Origin HighIrish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic
MeaningGraceful and beautiful; from the Irish Gaelic Cadhla meaning beautiful or graceful, with the -leigh suffix adding an Old English place-name ending meaning meadow or clearing
U.S. rank (2025)#804 ↘ Falling
2025 U.S. births340 girls (0.02% of U.S. girls)
Peak year2009
Total births (all-time)≈ 34,552

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 200919842025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

History & Origin

Kayleigh combines the Irish Gaelic name Cadhla (meaning beautiful or graceful) with the Old English -leigh suffix meaning meadow or clearing. It is one of many variants in the Kaylee/Kailey/Kayleigh sound family that emerged from blending Gaelic and English naming elements. The -leigh ending echoes English place names like Leigh and Henley.

Kayleigh became enormously popular in the United Kingdom after Marillion's 1985 hit and has been a top-10 name in the UK for stretches of the late 1980s and 1990s. In the United States it appeared alongside its many variant spellings (Kaylee, Kailey, Kaeli) as one of the dominant feminine sounds of the 1990s and 2000s.

Did you know? Kayleigh by Marillion, released in 1985, became one of the biggest British hit singles of that year and is credited by the band as introducing the name Kayleigh to a whole generation of British parents. The song was written about a former girlfriend and spent 10 weeks in the UK charts.
Overall data confidence 88%
Behind the Name — Kayleigh — Irish Gaelic etymology and British pop culture historyU.S. Social Security Administration — popularity data

Variations

KayleeKaileyKaylieKaeli

Nicknames

KayLeigh

Famous Bearers

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If you like Kayleigh…

Hayley— same two-syllable -ley/-leigh ending girls name popular in the same British-American naming era
Riley— shares the two-syllable Irish Gaelic surname feel and -ey/-leigh ending
Bailey
Hailey

Frequently Asked

What does the name Kayleigh mean?

Kayleigh means graceful and beautiful, from the Irish Gaelic Cadhla, combined with the Old English -leigh ending meaning meadow.

How do you pronounce Kayleigh?

It is said KAY-lee, two syllables with stress on the first.

Why is Kayleigh popular in the UK?

Kayleigh became enormously popular in Britain after Marillion's 1985 hit single Kayleigh spent weeks in the UK charts.

Is Kayleigh the same as Kaylee?

Kayleigh and Kaylee share the same sound and similar meaning but Kayleigh uses the more British -leigh spelling.