Haley
Haley was the 861st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 314 babies. Its best year was 2000, when it ranked 28th with 9,069 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 582 places. More babies were named Haley in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Hailey) hay clearing (surname) · Old English
- Rank in 2025
- #861 girls, down 345 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 314girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20009,069 babies
- Total since 1880
- 160,347babies recorded
What does the name Haley mean?
Haley is a spelling of Hailey, pronounced the same way, so it shares Hailey's meaning and origin.
Hailey is a spelling of Hayley, an English surname from a place name that joins Old English heg, 'hay', and leah, 'clearing, meadow', so it described a meadow where hay was made. Wikipedia notes that the girl's name Hayley became popular after the English child actress Hayley Mills (born 1946) became famous, and the spellings Hailey and Haley later became very common in the US. Wiktionary describes the name as unisex but it is used mostly for girls.
hīeġ (Old English, “hay”)lēah (Old English, “clearing, meadow”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Hayley, Haley, Hailee, Haylee, Bailey.
See also: English names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Hailey', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Hayley', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Haley popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 836 since 1916.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #861 | 314 |
| 2020 | #516 | 587 |
| 2010 | #154 | 1,988 |
| 2000 | #28 | 9,069 |
| 1990 | #108 | 3,200 |
| 1980 | #438 | 490 |
| 1970 | #1,423 | 73 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | #4,256 | 6 |
| 1920 | #4,618 | 6 |
| 1910 | #1,373 | 12 |
| 1900 | #2,048 | 5 |
| 1890 | #1,268 | 6 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Haley, counting every spelling?
Haley is a spelling of Hailey, a name family that ranked #81 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #861 for Haley on its own. Together these spellings went to 3,582 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hailey | 2,556 | #104 | 14,222 |
| Haley | 314 | #861 | 2,147 |
| Hayley | 179 | #1,251 | 1,424 |
| Haylee | 153 | #1,419 | 1,046 |
| Hailee | 163 | #1,355 | 954 |
| Hailie | 125 | #1,658 | 545 |
| Haylie | 37 | #3,935 | 238 |
| Heily | 32 | #4,392 | 124 |
| Haily | 17 | #6,638 | 76 |
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 Haley?
314 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Haley (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Haley 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 27 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Haley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Haley?
About 156,700 people born in the US named Haley are alive today, with a median age of 27; half are between 22 and 32. That makes Haley 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.
Haley by state
How common Haley was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Connecticut (2.5×), Iowa (2.2×), New Jersey (1.6×), Maryland (1.6×), Pennsylvania (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Louisiana, Kansas, Arkansas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Haley: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Haley, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Haley
What does Haley mean?
Haley is a spelling of Hailey, which means “hay clearing (surname)” (Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Haley?
Haley was the 861st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 314 babies. Its best year was 2000, when it ranked 28th with 9,069 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 582 places. More babies were named Haley in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Haley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Haley in the US.
Where is Haley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Haley was most common in Connecticut (0.67 per 1,000 girls), followed by Iowa and Nebraska.