Message: "Re: What is the original spelling of HAY-lee? (more)"

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Re: What is the original spelling of HAY-lee? (more)

by Perrine (Destry)

12/11/2020, 10:13 AM

Thanks! The Oxford dictionary of first names lists Hayley as the original for the first names. So maybe Haley is the most common surname but Hayley is how it first came into use as a given name?

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- elbowin +3

12/11/2020, 1:54 PM

This is a pretty difficult question to answer because name spelling isn't really orthographic, neither historically nor today.

But looking at the full data from the SSA, we see the spelling Haley from 1890 on, albeit rare. It was eclipsed by Hayley only in 1963, got the lead back in 1972, to loose it to Hailey in 2001. I have not summed up the number, but I'm pretty confident that the total number of Haley's born the USA still surpasses any other particular spelling. So, at least for the USA, I would see Haley as the primary spelling.

- Perrine (Destry) +2

12/12/2020, 4:02 AM

Yes, for the US I agree. However in Britain Hayley was extremely common but no other spelling than Hayley was ever really used heavily. As the name is originally British I'm kind of wondering which spelling was used first as a given name in Britain. But the data doesn't go very far back.

- elbowin +1

12/12/2020, 9:20 AM

Yes, different countries, different preferences. In Germany where Hailey is a rather recently imported name, the spelling Hailey is dominant, see

https://blog.beliebte-vornamen.de/2020/12/vorname-des-jahres-hailey/#comment-112690

- Perrine (Destry)

12/12/2020, 9:51 AM

Yes, dominant. But that doesn't mean it's the original spelling. The name originates from England so as Hayley is the standard spelling there, this might be how it first appeared. I don't want to find out the most popular spelling, but the original one. Hailey is not a German name. For example, Allison is way more popular than Alison but Alison is the original. Collin and Connor are more common than Colin or Conor, but Colin and Conor are the originals. Kaitlyn is way more common in the US than Caitlin, but Caitlin is the original. I feel like the UK is more likely to stick to originals (Caitlin is the most common spelling there). Interesting to think about this. Thanks for your reply :)

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