Kailie
An English feminine name of uncertain meaning, possibly a variant of Kaylee.
Name Census estimates that about 1,290 living Americans carry the first name Kailie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kailie today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kailie births was 1999 (71 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kailie. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 265,701 Americans
Peak year
1999
71 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2023 SSA rank
#14,234
Tracked since 1984
Census
Kailie in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,155 people with the first name Kailie, which placed it at #11,228 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#11,228
National first-name rank
People counted
1.2K
1,155 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
69.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kailie
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kailie is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%) and Two or More Races (7.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kailie described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kailie at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.2% · 799
- Hispanic or Latino13.0% · 150
- Two or more races7.4% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.5% · 63
- Black or African American4.2% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 10
Popularity
Kailie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kailie from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 579 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kailie by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kailie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kailies live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Kailie, while Michigan, Illinois, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 56 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kailie
The name Kailie is a modern variation of the traditional Scottish name Cailín, which is derived from the Gaelic word "caille" meaning "girl" or "young woman." This name has its roots in the Celtic culture of Scotland and can be traced back to the Middle Ages.
In ancient Scottish folklore, the name Cailín was often associated with female characters who embodied the virtues of strength, resilience, and independence. It was believed that bestowing this name upon a child would imbue her with these qualities, ensuring her ability to navigate the challenges of life with courage and determination.
While the name Cailín has been recorded in various historical documents from Scotland, one of the earliest notable references can be found in the 14th-century literary work "The Brus" by John Barbour. This epic poem recounts the life and struggles of Robert the Bruce, a central figure in the Scottish Wars of Independence against England.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kailie or its variations. One such figure was Cailín Mhór, a legendary Irish warrior woman who lived in the 16th century. She was renowned for her bravery and leadership skills, commanding her own band of warriors in battles against English forces during the Tudor conquest of Ireland.
In the 18th century, Cailín MacIntyre (1723-1799) was a renowned Scottish Gaelic poet and songwriter, whose works celebrated the beauty of her homeland and the resilience of her people. Her compositions have been cherished by generations of Scots and have contributed significantly to the preservation of Gaelic culture and language.
Another notable figure was Cailín Ní Chuilleanáin (1900-1957), an Irish artist and educator who played a pivotal role in the revival of traditional Irish arts and crafts. Her intricate needlework and embroidery pieces are celebrated as masterpieces of Irish cultural heritage.
In more recent times, Kailie Rae Langer (1918-2006) was an American author and illustrator of children's books. Her whimsical tales and vibrant illustrations captured the imaginations of young readers, earning her numerous accolades and awards throughout her prolific career.
While the name Kailie has evolved from its Gaelic roots, it continues to carry the essence of its origin – a symbol of strength, resilience, and independence, reflecting the enduring spirit of the Celtic cultures from which it emerged.
People
Kailie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kailie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kailie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kailie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,290 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kailie going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 265,701 US residents.
Is Kailie a common name?
We classify Kailie as "Rare". It ranks above 91.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,318 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kailie most popular?
The single biggest year for Kailie was 1999, when 71 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kailie is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kailie in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,155 people with the name Kailie, or 0.38 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,228 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kailie in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kailie?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kailie appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,156 people counted with this name, 99.5% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kailie?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kailie is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%) and Two or More Races (7.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kailie most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kailie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.2% (799 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kailie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kailie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kailie in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Kailie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kailie in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kailie can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Kailie?
Want to know how many Americans are named Kailie? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.