Finnley
Finnley was the 757th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 340 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 591st with 470 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 7 places. More babies were named Finnley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Finley) fair warrior (from Gaelic Fionnlagh) · Scottish Gaelic
- Rank in 2025
- #757 boys, down 146 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 340boys
- Girls and boys
- 26% girls, 74% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2021470 babies
- Total since 1880
- 8,151babies recorded
What does the name Finnley mean?
Finnley is a spelling of Finley, pronounced the same way, so it shares Finley's meaning and origin.
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
Finnley popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,513 | #757 | 141 | 340 |
| 2020 | #1,291 | #611 | 172 | 449 |
| 2010 | #2,761 | #1,507 | 64 | 108 |
| 2000 | — | — | — | — |
| 1990 | — | — | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
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| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Finnley, counting every spelling?
Finnley is a spelling of Finley, a name family that ranked #262 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #757 for Finnley 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 Finnley?
340 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Finnley (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Finnley 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 25 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Finnley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Finnley?
About 5,600 people born in the US named Finnley are alive today, with a median age of 7; half are between 4 and 10. That makes Finnley 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.
Finnley by state
How common Finnley was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Oregon (3.3×), Wisconsin (2.9×), Minnesota (2.6×), Washington (2.5×), Colorado (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Finnley: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Finnley, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Finnley
What does Finnley mean?
Finnley is a spelling of Finley, which means “fair warrior (from Gaelic Fionnlagh)” (Scottish Gaelic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Finnley?
Finnley was the 757th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 340 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 591st with 470 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 7 places. More babies were named Finnley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Finnley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 26% girls, 74% boys given the name Finnley in the US.
Where is Finnley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Finnley was most common in Oregon (0.78 per 1,000 boys), followed by Wisconsin and Minnesota.