Girls' name · since 1984
Cayley
Since 1984, U.S. Social Security records show 1,213 babies named Cayley, peaking in 1998. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #6,567 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #12,284 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,213
- born since 1984
- 2000s
- peak decade
1,213 babies have been named Cayley since 1984, making it today's #12284 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cayley has been recorded 1,213 times among girls since 1984, currently ranked #12284 nationally and more common than 29% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 2000s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1984 to 2025.
- #6,567 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #12,284 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 1,213 born since 1984
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cayley ranks #6,567 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #12,284 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 1,213 born since 1984, peaking in the 2000s.
- #6,567 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #12,284 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,213
- born since 1984
- 2000s
- peak decade
Cayley's 1,213 recorded births place it above 90.91% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
9 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Cayley compares
1,213 Top 29% higher than 71% of 17,297 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
Cayley's all-time total is 3x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cayley | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,213 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 75 | 21 | 19,840 |
Cayley's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Cayley's full recorded timeline at 2005, 38% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 62% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1985, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1998 peak of 75 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Cayley popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1984–2025
- Peak year (1998)
- 75
- Annual births at peak, across 42 years of records
Cayley by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (482 births, 40% of the file).
2000s was Cayley's strongest decade.
482 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 40% of all-time use.
Cayley births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s 47
1980s
47 births
- 1990s
1990s
461 births
- 2000s
2000s
482 births
- 2010s 178
2010s
178 births
- 2020s 45
2020s
45 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 482 births (40% of all-time use).
How Cayley 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 Cayley's total volume
Cayley by state
Where Cayley concentrates geographically, total births since 1984
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 71 | 5.9% |
| #2 | Texas | | 47 | 3.9% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 19 | 1.6% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 12 | 1.0% |
| #5 | Florida | | 11 | 0.9% |
| #6 | New York | | 7 | 0.6% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 5 | 0.4% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 5 | 0.4% |
71 of 1,213 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 9 reporting states.
Cayley appears in 9 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cayley? ▼
Where does Cayley sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Cayley most popular? ▼
Where is Cayley most popular? ▼
How long has the name Cayley been used? ▼
What names are similar to Cayley? ▼
What to do with Cayley's data
- Cayley's decade-level peak was the 2000s (482 total births); usage has since declined to 45 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Cayleys (71 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cayley
Nearby Names Like Cayley
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cayley
Compare Cayley side by side: Cayley vs Cayla Cayley vs Caylee Cayley vs Caydence
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cayley
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Cayley: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1998)
Similar record span (~41 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1984–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Cayley 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 August 2026.