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ArchivesRe: Kayleigh and Ceilidh
in reply to a message by Retrospectre
Yes, a connection to ceilidh does seem a bit of a stretch. I'll update.
Kaylee had a significant uptick in 1984. I haven't come across anything in popular culture that might have spurred this, though it could simply be Kayla + Hayley/Bailey.
Kaylee had a significant uptick in 1984. I haven't come across anything in popular culture that might have spurred this, though it could simply be Kayla + Hayley/Bailey.
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I have also looked for what might have influenced Kaylee in 1984, my only clue is that someone once commented that they were born in 1984 and named after a movie character. https://www.mamanatural.com/baby-names/girls/kaylee/
I'm also curious why Kaylee became the more popular spelling in the US.
I also found a book Under Crimson Sails which had a character named Kaylee printed in 1979. It also was showing up in baby name books as early as 1983. Bruce Lansky started including Kaylee, variant of Kelila, in his baby name books around 1983, and the Complete Dictionary of English and Hebrew First names (1984) has Kaylee as a variant spelling of Kaile, itself a variant of Kelila.i think there might have been a soap opera character?
I'm also curious why Kaylee became the more popular spelling in the US.
I also found a book Under Crimson Sails which had a character named Kaylee printed in 1979. It also was showing up in baby name books as early as 1983. Bruce Lansky started including Kaylee, variant of Kelila, in his baby name books around 1983, and the Complete Dictionary of English and Hebrew First names (1984) has Kaylee as a variant spelling of Kaile, itself a variant of Kelila.i think there might have been a soap opera character?
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Kayla is one of the most soap opera influenced names in the USA, being clearly linked to the character Kayla Brady on "Days of Our Lives". If you look at the popularity curve for Kayla, you will see that it starts up in 1982, peaks in 1983, then actually recedes a bit in 1984 and 1985 before taking off in a big boom in 1986. And the character of Kayla Brady was introduced on "Days of Our Lives" in 1982, left the show in 1983, and returned to the show (played by a different actress) in 1986, following that popularity curve exactly.
However, so far I can't find a specific reason for Kaylee's upswing other than parents wanting to create a "different but not too different" version of Kayla.
However, so far I can't find a specific reason for Kaylee's upswing other than parents wanting to create a "different but not too different" version of Kayla.
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The search is complicated by the fact that there were at least 14 spellings of Kaylee pre-1985 and over 30 immediately after. There was a Kaylie in the 1983 release of a sci fi thriller called Brainwaves.
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