Lainey, a variant of Laney and diminutive of Elaine, comes from the Greek name Helene and is either derived from the Greek word helene, meaning "torch" or "corposant," or the Greek word selene, meaning "moon." It first appeared in the Social Security Administration's top 1,000 for girl names in 2003, but has seen impressive growth in recent years and jumped from 174th in 2022 to 54th in 2023. The name was likely popularized by Grammy-winning country singer Lainey Wilson, who released her first album in 2014.
