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Home › Baby Names Directory › Kaylee

Kaylee

♀ Girl

Pronounced KAY-lee /ˈkeɪ.li/High

Meaning: Slender, fair — modern variant of Kayla or Caley, possibly from Irish Gaelic caol (slender, narrow); or a compound of Kay + LeeMedium

In 30 seconds: A modern American name combining the sounds of Kay and Lee, Kaylee may trace to Irish Gaelic roots meaning 'slender' but is largely a 20th-century coinage. It has been a top-100 girls' name since the 1990s.
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Origin MediumAmerican English, Irish Gaelic
MeaningSlender, fair — modern variant of Kayla or Caley, possibly from Irish Gaelic caol (slender, narrow); or a compound of Kay + Lee
U.S. rank (2025)#255 ↘ Falling
2025 U.S. births1,205 girls (0.08% of U.S. girls)
Peak year2009
Total births (all-time)≈ 140,404

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 200919432025

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

Kaylee is most likely a modern American compound name blending Kay (possibly from the Greek Aikaterinē/Katherine, or from the letter K) with Lee (Old English for a meadow/clearing). An Irish Gaelic origin from caol (slender) has also been proposed, via the name Caley or Caoimhe. The precise origin is genuinely uncertain.

Kaylee appeared in U.S. birth records in significant numbers in the 1980s and surged in the 1990s and 2000s, entering the top 100 girls' names. It sits in a cluster of rhyming names (Haley, Hailey, Bailey, Kailey) that defined that era of American naming. The Kaylee spelling is the most common.

Did you know? The name Kaylee has at least a dozen common spelling variants in U.S. birth records — Kayleigh, Kayle, Kaeli, Kailey, Cayleigh, and more — making it one of the most orthographically diverse names of the modern era.

Variations

KayleighKaileeKaileyCayleigh

Nicknames

KayKaye

Famous Bearers

  • ★Kaylee DeFer (1986-)
    American actress known for Gossip Girl

If you like Kaylee…

Hailey— two-syllable -ley girls' name from the same era with the same breezy sound
Bailey— two-syllable -ley girls' name equally popular in the 1990s and 2000s
Rylee— shares the -ee ending
Kierra— a similarly popular pick
Kiley— a similarly popular pick

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Kaylee mean?

Kaylee's origin is uncertain — it may come from Irish Gaelic meaning 'slender,' or be a modern compound of Kay and Lee. Multiple spellings and uncertain etymology make a definitive answer difficult.

How do you pronounce Kaylee?

Kaylee is pronounced KAY-lee /ˈkeɪ.li/ — two syllables with stress on the first.

Is Kaylee a boy or girl name?

Kaylee is a girls' name.

How popular is Kaylee?

Kaylee has been in the U.S. top 100 girls' names since the 1990s and remains popular today.

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