Alley
Alley was the 10972nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 8 babies. Its best year was 2006, when it ranked 2704th with 66 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 5,677 places. More babies were named Alley in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Allie) pet form of Alice, Alison, Alexandra and similar names · English
- Rank in 2025
- #10,972 girls, down 4,877 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 8girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 200666 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,120babies recorded
What does the name Alley mean?
Alley is a spelling of Allie, pronounced the same way, so it shares Allie's meaning and origin.
Allie is a pet form of names beginning with Al-, such as Alice, Alison and Alexandra for girls, and Alfred, Albert, Alan or Alexander for boys, as Wiktionary notes. DMNES derives Alice from Germanic adal, "noble", and heit, "kind", and Alexander from Greek words for "defend" and "man". Allie is now often given as a name in its own right.
How sure is this? Well established. A pet form of several names, so its meaning depends on the full name.
Related names: Ally, Alice, Alison, Alexandra, Ali.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Allie', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Alice', DMNES, Durham University
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Alexander', DMNES, Durham University
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Alley popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 42 since 1914.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,972 | 8 |
| 2020 | #6,095 | 19 |
| 2010 | #3,893 | 39 |
| 2000 | #5,319 | 21 |
| 1990 | #4,702 | 20 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Alley, counting every spelling?
Alley is a spelling of Allie, a name family that ranked #371 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #10,972 for Alley on its own. Together these spellings went to 894 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allie | 529 | #569 | 3,133 |
| Aleah | 265 | #965 | 1,913 |
| Alea | 56 | #2,958 | 295 |
| Aleeah | 18 | #6,335 | 131 |
| Alli | 18 | #6,339 | 130 |
| Alley | 8 | #10,972 | 48 |
| Aaleah | — | — | 33 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Alley?
8 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Alley (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Alley born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1,057 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Alley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Alley?
About 1,100 people born in the US named Alley are alive today, with a median age of 20; half are between 14 and 26. That makes Alley mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Alley: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Alley, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Alley
What does Alley mean?
Alley is a spelling of Allie, which means “pet form of Alice, Alison, Alexandra and similar names” (English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Alley?
Alley was the 10972nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 8 babies. Its best year was 2006, when it ranked 2704th with 66 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 5,677 places. More babies were named Alley in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Alley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Alley in the US.