Finley
Finley was the 333rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,017 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 265th with 1,307 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 7 places. More babies were named Finley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning fair warrior (from Gaelic Fionnlagh) · Scottish Gaelic
Say it FIN-lee /ˈfɪnli/
- Rank in 2025
- #333 boys, down 28 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,017boys
- Girls and boys
- 48% girls, 52% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20211,307 babies
- Total since 1880
- 42,288babies recorded
What does the name Finley mean?
Finley is a spelling of the Scottish name Finlay, from Gaelic Fionnlagh. DMNES derives it from Old Irish finn, "fair, white", and láech, "warrior" (also "layman"), and records the name of an 11th-century king of Moray. It became a Scottish surname and has since come back as a first name for both boys and girls; the -ey spelling is the one more often used for girls in the US.
finn (Old Irish, “fair, white”)láech (Old Irish, “warrior; layman”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Finlay, Findlay, Finn.
See also: Scottish names, names that mean warrior, names that mean a color.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Finley', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Finlay', DMNES, Durham University
Nicknames for Finley
The usual nicknames for Finley are Finn. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Finley in the last five years, 164 were named Finn, against 387 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finn · also for Finnegan | Modern | #206 | 9,658 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Finleys go by each one.
Finley popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #415 | #333 | 753 | 1,017 |
| 2020 | #201 | #305 | 1,442 | 1,089 |
| 2010 | #408 | #596 | 780 | 419 |
| 2000 | #6,296 | #2,493 | 17 | 38 |
| 1990 | — | #7,472 | — | 6 |
| 1980 | — | #4,642 | — | 8 |
| 1970 | — | #3,362 | — | 9 |
| 1960 | — | #1,929 | — | 18 |
| 1950 | — | #1,444 | — | 26 |
| 1940 | — | #1,281 | — | 28 |
| 1930 | — | #1,349 | — | 29 |
| 1920 | — | #1,096 | — | 42 |
| 1910 | — | #837 | — | 14 |
| 1900 | — | #992 | — | 8 |
| 1890 | — | #835 | — | 7 |
| 1880 | — | #583 | — | 11 |
How popular is Finley, counting every spelling?
Finley is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #262 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #333 for Finley on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,404 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finley | 1,017 | #333 | 5,883 |
| Finnley | 340 | #757 | 2,060 |
| Finlee | 24 | #4,295 | 146 |
| Finnlee | 17 | #5,458 | 97 |
| Fynnley | 6 | #11,114 | 26 |
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 Finley?
1,017 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Finley (0.28 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Finley 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 8 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Finley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Finley?
About 17,900 people born in the US named Finley are alive today, with a median age of 8; half are between 4 and 12. That makes Finley a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Finley by state
How common Finley was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Vermont (6.8×), Maine (5.3×), New Hampshire (3.5×), Montana (2.9×), Oregon (2.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Rhode Island, Texas, Delaware.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Finley: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Finley, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Finley · Sibling names for Finley
Questions about the name Finley
What does Finley mean?
Finley means “fair warrior (from Gaelic Fionnlagh)” (Scottish Gaelic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Finley?
Finley was the 333rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,017 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 265th with 1,307 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 7 places. More babies were named Finley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Finley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 48% girls, 52% boys given the name Finley in the US.
Where is Finley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Finley was most common in Vermont (4.62 per 1,000 boys), followed by Maine and New Hampshire.