Kylie

How to say it

/ˈkaɪ.li/

What it means

Australian English from the Indigenous (Nyungar) word for a curved hunting stick, often glossed as 'boomerang.' Also folk-etymologized as a feminine of Kyle (Gaelic 'narrow strait'). Kylie Minogue and Kylie Jenner anchor two generations.

Kylie has two competing origin stories. The dominant Australian reading derives it from the Nyungar (Western Australian Aboriginal) word for a curved hunting stick, popularly translated as 'boomerang.' The competing reading treats it as a feminine of Kyle, from the Scottish Gaelic caol ('narrow strait'). Kylie Mole (a 1980s Australian TV character) and Kylie Minogue the pop singer (born 1968, Neighbours from 1986, Locomotion in 1988, Can't Get You Out of My Head in 2001) drove the name's global rise. Kylie Jenner (born 1997, Keeping Up with the Kardashians) anchors the Gen-Z generation. As a US name Kylie peaked in the 2010s in the top 100 and is still in the top 200. Common short: Ky.

Heads-up notes

• Pop culture

  Kylie Minogue (Australian pop, from 1986) and Kylie Jenner (Kardashian-era, from the 2010s) anchor two distinct generations of the name.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

• Kylie Minogue Australian pop singer, Neighbours and Can't Get You Out of My Head
• Kylie Jenner American media personality and cosmetics founder, born 1997

Spelling variants

• Kyleigh
• Kylee
• Kyliee

Names with the same feeling

• Riley Courageous, valiant
• Harper Harp player
• Kayla Crown, laurel, or a modern blend
• Kira Light, or lord
• Skylar Scholar, refuge

See Kylie from another angle