Cailee
Feminine
Cailee is one more spelling of the Kaylee sound, and the c at the front is the only thing distinguishing it from a dozen others.
How old is the name Cailee?
Cailee first appears in US birth records in 1986 — 39 years ago. The typical Cailee alive today was born around 2007, making them about 18 years old. About 1,800 people named Cailee are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Cailee most popular?
Cailee peaked in 1999, reaching #2018 nationally. Today it ranks #4460, 2,442 places below that high. See the whole 1999 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Cailee
Ours, offered as ours. This sound has generated more live spellings than almost any other in English naming — Kaylee, Kayleigh, Kaley, Kaleigh, Caylee, Cailee, Kailey, Kaili and more. That the c-initial forms exist at all is worth noting: they were made by families wanting the same sound with a softer look, and c is the older and more conventional English letter for it. Every one of them is equally correct because none is original.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No source is established. The Kaylee sound is variously traced to a 1985 song, to an assembly of Kay and Leigh, and to the Irish surname Ó Caollaidhe on caol, narrow. None is settled for any spelling.
Pronouncing Cailee
KAY-lee
Two syllables, first stressed. Every spelling of the sound is said the same.
Nicknames for Cailee
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
- 1986
- Most girls named
- 199977 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2018reached in 1999
- Change vs 2024
- 0.0%31 in 2025, from 31
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.
Cailee in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Kaylee in English — spelling variant
- Caylee in English — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Florida.
Cailees among us
people named Cailee are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 51,847 born in 2025 was named Cailee
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Cailee
- #4460
- Cailee on the 2025 chart
- #234
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Cailee went to 31 girls in 2025, but Kaylee, Kailee and Caylee and the rest below are the same name said out loud. Together the 5 spellings went to 1,431, which makes it the 234th most-given girls’ name of the year — 4,226 places above the chart.
About 1 girl in 1,123 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 51,847 for Cailee itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Bryna test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Cailee's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Bryna climbed just as high around 1941, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Bryna's path sketches the road Cailee is walking now.
Cailee 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 Cailee is headed
Cailee should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium 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.
Cailee beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Cailee in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Lee is a plain short form that works at any age.
- Read correctly on sight by every English speaker.
- Six letters and two syllables, quick to write.
- There are at least eight live spellings and she will recite hers for life.
- Kaylee and Kayleigh are both far more common.
- There is no settled meaning for any spelling.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Cailee to the vote.
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What they receive
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Cailee
Feminine · #4460 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Cailees are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,800 people named Cailee are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Cailee?
- Cailee is one of 5 recorded spellings. Kaylee is the more common one — 1,205 births in 2025 against 31 for Cailee.
- How popular is the name Cailee in 2025?
- Cailee ranks #4460 among US girl names in 2025, with 31 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Cailee?
- About 1 in every 51,847 US girls born in 2025 was named Cailee — 31 in all.
- Will my child share the name Cailee with classmates?
- Cailee will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Cailee
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Jayce#4460 · Nikita#4460 · Magali#4460 · Emari#4460 · Rilyn#4460 · Danyla#4460 · Lynleigh#4460 · Mandy#4460
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Cailee? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Cailee and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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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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