Ailene vs Aili
American parents have registered 2,197 Ailenes since 1880, against 1,376 Ailis. But in 2025 it was Aili that was commoner, 35 babies to 18.
Babies given each name, 1880–2025
Ailene Aili
Each line is every baby given the name that year, girls and boys added together — the only count that means the same thing for both names. A line breaks where the name fell below five babies in a year — the point at which the SSA stops publishing it — rather than being drawn through a figure nobody published. A single published year in a gap shows as a dot.
Who was ahead
Of the 121 years in which either name was published, Ailene for 82 years and Aili for 39 years. The lead changed hands 17 times.
- 1904–1915 Aili ahead, apart from one short spell
- 1916–1986 Ailene ahead, apart from one short spell
- 1987–1989 Aili ahead
- 1990–2001 Ailene ahead, apart from one short spell
- 2006–2025 Aili ahead
10 shorter spells of a year or two are folded into the spans above rather than listed separately.
Side by side
| Ailene | Aili | |
|---|---|---|
| Total US births | 2,197 | 1,376 |
| Most in one year | 56 | 45 |
| Babies in 2025 | 18 | 35 |
| Estimated living today | 1,100 | 980 |
| Median age today | 29 | 15 |
| Peak year | 1926 | 2009 |
| Best rank | 997th girls | 3,561st girls |
| Rank in 2025 | 6,325th | 4,067th |
| First recorded | 1900 | 1901 |
| Girls / boys | 2,197 / 0 | 1,376 / 0 |
A rank is a position within one sex’s list for one year, so the two rank rows are not subtracted from one another and the winning column is not marked on them. The living figure is a life-table estimate, not a count.
Which name is older
Half of the Ailenes alive today are over 29; half the Ailis are over 15. That is 14 years between them: two names in use at the same time, worn by two different generations.
Where each one is strongest
- Ailene Kentucky (4.6×), North Carolina (4.6×), California (4.2×)
- Aili Minnesota (15.9×), Michigan (8.0×), Massachusetts (5.8×)
How much commoner the name is in that state than it is nationally, from births recorded since 1910.
Compare something else
Related comparisons
Social Security Administration birth records, 1880–2025, public domain. Full histories: Ailene and Aili.