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Karlei
How to Pronounce Karlei
Pronounced KAR-lee /ΛkΙr.li/Medium
Meaning: Karlei is a modern coinage in the Carly/Karla family, a feminine form built on Karl (or Charles), from a Germanic root meaning 'free man.' The -lei ending is a decorative respelling of the -ley/-lee sound rather than a separate element, so the inherited sense stays 'free man' softened into a girl's name.Low
Popularity in the U.S. Β· SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880βpresent). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Karlei is a modern American girls' name, a feminine coinage on Karl or Carl, whose Germanic root means 'free man.' It enters United States records around 1991 and reached its small high near 2015, unusually late for this list. Throughout, it was given to only a couple dozen girls a year, keeping it firmly rare.
Because its peak is recent, a girl named Karlei is likely still a child or teen, making this one of the younger names in the group. It reads as a fresh, informal coinage rather than a revival; parents who like it tend to be drawn to its clean two-beat sound and the familiar Carly connection.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Karlei mean?
It is a modern feminine coinage from the Karl/Carla family, ultimately Germanic for 'free man.'
How do you pronounce Karlei?
It's said KAR-lee /ΛkΙr.li/, two syllables, stress on the first.
Is Karlei a boy or girl name?
Karlei is used as a girl's name.
How popular is Karlei?
It has always been rare, a modern coinage given to only a couple dozen girls a year even at its high in the mid-twenty-tens.