Total births
2,297
Girls' name · since 1986
Cayleigh
2,297 babies named Cayleigh in U.S. Social Security records since 1986, with the highest year being 2009. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #4719
- among girls today
- 2,297
- born since 1986
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 73%
- more common than other girls
Cayleigh currently ranks #4719 among girls' names in America, with 2,297 babies recorded since 1986.
Cayleigh has 2,297 recorded births among girls since 1986, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #4719 as of the latest data, more common than 73% of girls, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1986 to 2025.
- #4719 among girls today
- 2,297 born since 1986
- 2010s peak decade
- 73% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Cayleigh is currently the #4719 girls' name in America, more common than 73% of girls - 2,297 born since 1986, peaking in the 2010s.
- #4719
- among girls today
- 2,297
- born since 1986
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 73%
- more common than other girls
Cayleigh vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#4719
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 73% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
43% of everyone ever named Cayleigh was born in this single decade.
2009
Single peak year
162 babies were named Cayleigh in 2009 - its busiest year on record.
How Cayleigh compares
2,297 Top 20% higher than 80% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Cayleigh's all-time total is 6x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cayleigh | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,297 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 162 | 48 | 19,840 |
Cayleigh's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Cayleigh splits its recorded history at 2006: 71% of all births land in the more recent half, 29% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1987 (10 births) -- compare that against the 2009 peak of 162 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Cayleigh at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2009
Current rank
#4,719
Active since
1986
Cayleigh popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1986–2025
- Peak year (2009)
- 162
- Annual births at peak, across 40 years of records
Cayleigh by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Cayleigh's strongest decade.
986 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 43% of all-time use.
Cayleigh births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s 51
1980s
51 births
- 1990s 249
1990s
249 births
- 2000s
2000s
757 births
- 2010s
2010s
986 births
- 2020s 254
2020s
254 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 986 births (43% of all-time use).
How Cayleigh compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Cayleigh's total volume
Cayleigh vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Cayleigh by state
Where Cayleigh concentrates geographically, total births since 1986
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 177 | 7.7% |
| #2 | North Carolina | | 74 | 3.2% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 71 | 3.1% |
| #4 | Florida | | 66 | 2.9% |
| #5 | New York | | 51 | 2.2% |
| #6 | California | | 45 | 2.0% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 41 | 1.8% |
| #8 | Virginia | | 40 | 1.7% |
Texas share of Cayleigh's total US births 7.7%
Even split
177 of 2,297 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 23 reporting states.
Cayleigh appears in 23 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cayleigh? ▼
Since 1986, Social Security records show 2,297 babies named Cayleigh. Today it holds rank #4719 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2009, with 162 births.
When was Cayleigh most popular? ▼
Cayleigh was most popular in the 2010s decade with 986 total births. The single peak year was 2009.
Where is Cayleigh most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Cayleigh are Texas (177 births), North Carolina (74 births), Georgia (71 births).
How long has the name Cayleigh been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Cayleigh since 1986 -- 40 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Cayleigh? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Cayla, Caylee, Caydence, Caylin, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Cayleigh's data
- Cayleigh's decade-level peak was the 2010s (986 total births); usage has since declined to 254 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Cayleighs (177 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cayleigh
Nearby Names Like Cayleigh
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cayleigh
Cayla Girl
#3841 10,853 births
Caylee Girl
#1917 9,769 births
Caydence Girl
#4276 3,588 births
Caylin Girl
#7030 2,471 births
Cayden Girl
#5527 1,878 births
Compare Cayleigh side by side: Cayleigh vs Cayla Cayleigh vs Caylee Cayleigh vs Caydence
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cayleigh
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1986–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Cayleigh: #4719 Girls' Name - 2,297 Births, Peak 2009." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/cayleigh. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Cayleigh draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.