Given name & surname
Aili
“one who bears light”·“from a protected place”
Aili is a variant of Aila. Interpretations include “one who bears light” and “from a protected place”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Aili is a variant of Aila. Interpretations include “one who bears light” and “from a protected place”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Aili is a variant of Aila. Aila has been associated with Finnish and Scottish naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Finnish usage, Aili developed from Áile.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1901. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Aili through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,376
- 0 boys · 1,376 girls
- Most popular year
- 2009
- 45 babies
- 2025
- 35
- #4,069 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +5%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 35 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 4,069 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 5.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 45 in 2009. In 2025, California and Washington shared the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (5 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,143 as a first name in 2020; 165 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Aili’s family of names
In Finnish usage, Aili has a diminutive in Alli. In Finnish usage, Aili shares a linguistic root with the English form Helga. In Finnish usage, Aili has a conventional equivalent in the Polish form Olga.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Aili has relatives in 6 languages.
10 related names in 6 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Aili
- Ansa IkonenFinnish actress1913–1989
- Aili KeskitaloSami politician from Norwayborn 1968
- Aili VintEstonian graphic designer and painter (born 1941)
- Aili NenolaFinnish cultural studies scholarborn 1942
- Aili JõgiEstonian resistance fighter and sports shooting coach (1931-2017)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Aili, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Emely
“rival”
>99% girls
Cali
“one who is lean” · “crowned with laurel”
3% boys · 97% girls
Lilly
“God is my oath” · “My God is bountiful”
>99% girls
Allie
“the son of a noble” · “helper and defender of mankind”
>99% girls
Aniyah
“a woman graced with God's favor”
>99% girls
Amani
“one who is peaceful” · “one with wishes and dreams”
18% boys · 82% girls
Ainsley
“one's own meadow”
1% boys · 99% girls
Laila
“a beauty of the night; born at nightfall”
>99% girls