Kylie (name)

Kylie (also spelled Kilee, Kileigh, Kiley, Kylee, Kyleigh, Kyley, khylie or Kyly^[1]) is a feminine given name. This name could derive from two different roots:

• From the Noongar, an Indigenous Australian people, from the word kiley, meaning 'curved, returning stick, boomerang'.
• From the Irish surname O'Kiely, which in turn derives from the Old Gaelic surname O'Cadhla, meaning 'graceful or beautiful', descendant(s) of the graceful one.

Public records show that the given name Kylie was used as least as far back as 1877.^[2] A 1947 survey of newborn names reported that "Australian parents show a general reluctance to use aboriginal words in naming their children" and cited Kylie as one of the few exceptions.^[3] The name became popular during the late 1960s to the early 1970s and was listed in 1970 in Australia as the fifth most popular girl's name.^[4] The Australian author Kylie Tennant (1912–1988) may have been the modern originator of this name.^{[citation needed]} She was born Kathleen Tennant, but was called Kylie (her nickname) since her childhood.^[5] According to the Australian Dictionary of Biography, the publication of her third novel in 1941 "made her a household name and brought her international acclaim".^[6] "Kylie" first appeared on the list of 100 most popular female baby names in New South Wales in 1965, reaching a peak of popularity in 1972–1974 when it was the second most popular girl's name.^[7] In the United States, the name was first recorded in the top 1000 female baby names in 1978, but did not reach the top 100 until 2001. It remains a well-used name for girls there, with many spelling variations also in use. ^{[8] [9]}