Azalee
Feminine · “Greek "dry”
The azalea is named for the ground it grows in, not for anything about the flower. Greek azaleos means dry, and Linnaeus applied it in 1753 believing the plants preferred parched soil — a botanical mistake that became a woman's name.
How old is the name Azalee?
Azalee first appears in US birth records in 1897 — 128 years ago. The typical Azalee alive today was born around 1932, making them about 93 years old. About 600 people named Azalee are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Azalee most popular?
Azalee peaked in 1909, reaching #935 nationally. Today it ranks #7491, 6,556 places below that high. See the whole 1909 chart.
Where it comes from
From azaleos to Azalee
The story of Azalee
Flower names became a substantial class of American women's names in the nineteenth century — Rose, Lily, Violet, Daisy, Iris, Myrtle, Hazel, Azalea — and they rose and fell together, peaking between about 1890 and 1920. Azalee follows that curve exactly, peaking in 1909. What separates the group from other name fashions is that the words were already English before they were names, so each one arrived with a settled meaning and no etymology to trace beyond the plant. Azalea is unusual within it for carrying a meaning that describes a mistake rather than the flower.
Meaning
Greek "dry", by way of the flower
From Greek azaleos, dry or parched, chosen by Linnaeus as a genus name. The belief that azaleas favor dry ground is wrong: most species want moist, acid soil and shade. The name stuck anyway, as botanical names generally do once published. Azalee is an American respelling of Azalea, replacing the Latin ending with the English -ee; the change carries no meaning.
How the name formed
- azaleos
- Azalea
- Azalee
Related forms: Azalea · Azalea
Pronouncing Azalee
AZ-uh-lee
Three syllables, stress on the first. Azalea is uh-ZAY-lee-uh with the stress on the second syllable, so the two spellings are not said the same way.
Nicknames for Azalee
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
- 1897
- Most girls named
- 192543 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #935reached in 1909
- Change vs 2023
- −39.1%14 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.
Azalee in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Azalea in English — spelling variant
- Azalea in Spanish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas.
Azalees among us
people named Azalee are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 114,805 born in 2025 was named Azalee
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Azalee 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
Azalee beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Azalee in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- It names a flower everyone recognizes.
- Lee and Zali work as short forms.
- It has a documented Greek root and a datable botanical history.
- Azalea is the standard spelling and is stressed differently.
- The Greek meaning describes a botanical error, not the plant.
- The early-1900s peak dates a bearer strongly.
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What they receive
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Azalee
Feminine · #7491 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Azalees are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Azalee are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Azalee in 2025?
- Azalee ranks #7491 among US girl names in 2025, with 14 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Azalee?
- About 1 in every 114,805 US girls born in 2025 was named Azalee — 14 in all.
- Will my child share the name Azalee with classmates?
- Azalee will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Azalee
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Christie#7491 · Carmelita#7491 · Jetta#7491 · Hildegard#7491 · Rickie#7491 · Billy#7491 · Angelyn#7491 · Jewell#7491
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Azalee? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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