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Hailei
How to Pronounce Hailei
Pronounced HAY-lee /ˈheɪli/High
Meaning: Hailei is a modern respelling of Hailey (Haley), an English surname from a place name combining Old English 'heg', 'hay', and 'leah', 'wood, clearing, meadow', giving 'hay meadow'. Hailey became a hugely popular girls' name from the 1990s, and Hailei is one of its many phonetic spellings, keeping the 'hay meadow' meaning.Low
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Hailei comes from Hailey, an English surname built from 'heg', hay, and 'leah', meadow. Hailey rose to the top ranks of American girls' names by the late 1990s, and its sound was spelled in dozens of ways. Hailei is one of the rarer variants, ending the name with an -ei that gives it a slightly distinctive finish.
This spelling stayed rare, reaching only a couple dozen girls a year at its high near 2000 while the mainstream spellings soared. A girl given it then is now in her twenties. Hailey has since eased off its peak, and this variant reads as a name of that busy spelling era.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Hailei mean?
It's a spelling of Hailey, an English place name meaning 'hay meadow' or 'hay clearing'.
How do you pronounce Hailei?
It's said HAY-lee /ˈheɪli/, two syllables, stress on the first.
Is Hailei a boy or girl name?
Hailei is used as a girl's name.
Is Hailei a popular name?
No, this spelling stayed rare, used lightly while Hailey itself was very popular.