Ailey
Feminine
Ailey has two roads. One is Scottish: Ailie is a pet form of Aileen and Alison, and English families have used it for centuries. The other is American: the surname Ailey belongs to a choreographer whose company changed what American dance looked like, and some families are naming for that.
How old is the name Ailey?
Ailey first appears in US birth records in 1992 — 33 years ago. The typical Ailey alive today was born around 2012, making them about 13 years old. About 1,000 people named Ailey are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Ailey most popular?
Ailey peaked in 2008, reaching #2609 nationally. Today it ranks #5099, 2,490 places below that high. See the whole 2008 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Ailey
There is a family of two-syllable American girls' names ending in a bright -ey, and it is very large: Bailey, Hailey, Kayley, Riley, Ailey. What holds them together is a shape rather than an origin. Starting on a vowel is what makes this one different, and it is a real difference: the name opens softly where the rest of the family opens hard, which changes how it sounds when it is called. Whatever a family means by it, that is what they are choosing.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Not documented. Ailie points back through Aileen to Helen, whose Greek root is unresolved. The surname Ailey is of uncertain origin. And most modern American Aileys belong to the Bailey and Kayleigh rhyme family rather than to either. None can be shown for a given child.
Pronouncing Ailey
AY-lee
Two syllables, stress in front. Some families say EYE-lee, following the Scottish Ailie, and the spelling supports both.
Nicknames for Ailey
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1992
- Most girls named
- 200871 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2609reached in 2008
- Change vs 2024
- +8.7%25 in 2025, from 23
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Ailey in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ailie in Scottish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Florida.
Aileys among us
people named Ailey are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 64,291 born in 2025 was named Ailey
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Vanessia test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Ailey's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Vanessia climbed just as high around 1961, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Vanessia's path sketches the road Ailey is walking now.
Ailey sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Ailey is headed
Ailey is easing off slowly — about 16% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Ailey beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Ailey in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- It is short, soft and easy for a very young child to say.
- Lee works as a short form and is a complete name on its own.
- The opening vowel makes it distinct within a very crowded rhyme family.
- Ailey, Ailee and Aileigh are all in use and near-identical in speech.
- Two pronunciations circulate and the spelling settles neither.
- It is a well-known surname in American dance, which some people will recognize and mention.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Ailey to the vote.
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What they receive
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Ailey
Feminine · #5099 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Aileys are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,000 people named Ailey are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Ailey in 2025?
- Ailey ranks #5099 among US girl names in 2025, with 25 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Ailey?
- About 1 in every 64,291 US girls born in 2025 was named Ailey — 25 in all.
- Will my child share the name Ailey with classmates?
- Ailey will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Ailey
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Janette#5099 · Loraine#5099 · Delfina#5099 · Hali#5099 · Mecca#5099 · Zoi#5099 · Afia#5099 · Emelie#5099
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Ailey? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Ailey and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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