A 1910s favorite, climbing again.
Popularity of Ailie since 1906
Babies named Ailie per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 2012, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Ailie's real moment was 1912.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 10 |
| 1910s | 86 |
| 1920s | 32 |
| 1930s | 7 |
| 1940s | 0 |
| 1950s | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 |
| 1970s | 9 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 7 |
| 2000s | 116 |
| 2010s | 85 |
| 2020s | 30 |
Meaning & origin
Ailie is a name with dual possible origins, reflecting its use in both Scottish and Finnish contexts. In Scotland, it is typically considered a diminutive of Aileen, linking it to the broader tradition of Irish and Scottish names derived from Eibhlín. In Finland, it may be a variant of Aili, a name that carries a meaning of 'holy light'. Historical data from the United States shows that Ailie first appeared on record in 1906, and its peak popularity occurred in 1912, during the decade of the 1910s. After a long period of decline, the name has been rising in usage since 1995, suggesting a modest revival of interest in this gentle, two-syllable name. Despite this recent uptick, Ailie remains quite rare, with only about 1 in every 267,878 newborns receiving the name in 2025. Its lack of top states indicates that its usage is scattered rather than concentrated in any particular region.
Ailie is a Scottish diminutive of Aileen, itself a variant of Eileen, the Anglicized form of the Irish Eibhlín, which is derived from the Norman French Aveline. In Finnish contexts, Ailie may be a variant of Aili, meaning 'holy light' or 'light'.
Nicknames & variants
Sibling names for Ailie
Names that share Ailie's style, for a brother or sister.
