Total births
27,244
Girls' name · since 1970
Kailey
Since 1970, U.S. Social Security records show 27,244 babies named Kailey, peaking in 2004. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1285
- among girls today
- 27,244
- born since 1970
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Kailey is the #1285 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 27,244 recorded since 1970.
Kailey has 27,244 recorded births among girls since 1970, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1285 as of the latest data, more common than 93% of girls, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1970 to 2025.
- #1285 among girls today
- 27,244 born since 1970
- 2000s peak decade
- 93% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Kailey is currently the #1285 girls' name in America, more common than 93% of girls - 27,244 born since 1970, peaking in the 2000s.
- #1285
- among girls today
- 27,244
- born since 1970
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other girls
Kailey vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1285
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 93% of names given to girls today.
2000s
Peak decade
43% of everyone ever named Kailey was born in this single decade.
2004
Single peak year
1,439 babies were named Kailey in 2004 - its busiest year on record.
How Kailey compares
27,244 Top 5% higher than 95% 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
Kailey's all-time total is 71x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kailey | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 27,244 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,439 | 48 | 19,840 |
Kailey's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Kailey's full recorded timeline at 2002, 63% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 37% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1970, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2004 peak of 1,439 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Kailey at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2004
Current rank
#1,285
Active since
1970
Kailey popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1970–2025
- Peak year (2004)
- 1,439
- Annual births at peak, across 56 years of records
Kailey popularity over time - boys
10 total births recorded since 2004 (Kailey as boys' name)
Kailey by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Kailey's strongest decade.
11,836 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 43% of all-time use.
Kailey births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 10
1970s
10 births
- 1980s 1,006
1980s
1,006 births
- 1990s
1990s
6,830 births
- 2000s
2000s
11,836 births
- 2010s
2010s
6,154 births
- 2020s 1,408
2020s
1,408 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 11,836 births (43% of all-time use).
How Kailey 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 Kailey's total volume
Kailey vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Kailey by state
Where Kailey concentrates geographically, total births since 1970
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 3,392 | 12.5% |
| #2 | Texas | | 2,706 | 9.9% |
| #3 | Florida | | 1,528 | 5.6% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 1,338 | 4.9% |
| #5 | New York | | 1,284 | 4.7% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 921 | 3.4% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 866 | 3.2% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 846 | 3.1% |
California share of Kailey's total US births 12.5%
Even split
3,392 of 27,244 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.
Kailey appears in 49 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kailey? ▼
Kailey has been given to 27,244 babies in the U.S. since 1970, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #1285 as of the latest data. 1,439 babies were born in 2004, its single highest year.
When was Kailey most popular? ▼
Kailey was most popular in the 2000s decade with 11,836 total births. The single peak year was 2004.
Where is Kailey most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Kailey are California (3,392 births), Texas (2,706 births), Florida (1,528 births).
How long has the name Kailey been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Kailey since 1970 -- 56 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Kailey? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kaitlyn, Kaitlin, Kaia, Kaitlynn, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Kailey's data
- Kailey's decade-level peak was the 2000s (11,836 total births); usage has since declined to 1,408 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kaileys (3,392 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California 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 Kailey
Nearby Names Like Kailey
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kailey
Kaitlyn Girl
#650 166,689 births
Kaitlin Girl
#4931 57,355 births
Kaia Girl
#180 20,909 births
Kaitlynn Girl
#3490 16,419 births
Kaila Girl
#1739 14,556 births
Compare Kailey side by side: Kailey vs Kaitlyn Kailey vs Kaitlin Kailey vs Kaia
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kailey
Lindsey #1284
157,551 births · Peak 1984
Hailee #1286
16,484 births · Peak 2003
Azul #1283
4,547 births · Peak 2008
Amariah #1287
3,763 births · Peak 2025
Alya #1282
2,242 births · Peak 2021
Jaylee #1288
8,472 births · Peak 2012
Kristen #1281
218,767 births · Peak 1982
Madisyn #1289
17,374 births · Peak 2010
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, 1970–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Kailey: #1285 Girls' Name - 27,244 Births, Peak 2004." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/kailey. 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 Kailey 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.