Hayley
Hayley was the 1251st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 179 babies. Its best year was 1996, when it ranked 120th; the most babies were born in 1993 (2,618). Over the last ten years it has moved down 703 places. More babies were named Hayley in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Hailey) hay clearing (surname) · Old English
- Rank in 2025
- #1,251 girls, down 577 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 179girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19932,618 babies
- Total since 1880
- 51,449babies recorded
What does the name Hayley mean?
Hayley 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
Hayley popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 46 since 1989.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,251 | 179 |
| 2020 | #674 | 423 |
| 2010 | #430 | 723 |
| 2000 | #149 | 2,300 |
| 1990 | #267 | 1,053 |
| 1980 | #728 | 229 |
| 1970 | #1,310 | 82 |
| 1960 | #4,577 | 9 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Hayley, counting every spelling?
Hayley is a spelling of Hailey, a name family that ranked #81 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,251 for Hayley 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 Hayley?
179 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Hayley (0.05 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Hayley 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 47 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Hayley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Hayley?
About 50,500 people born in the US named Hayley are alive today, with a median age of 28; half are between 22 and 34. That makes Hayley 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.
Hayley by state
How common Hayley was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Massachusetts (2.5×), New York (2.0×), Maryland (1.8×), New Jersey (1.8×), Pennsylvania (1.6×). In 21 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Hayley: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Hayley, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Hayley
What does Hayley mean?
Hayley is a spelling of Hailey, which means “hay clearing (surname)” (Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Hayley?
Hayley was the 1251st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 179 babies. Its best year was 1996, when it ranked 120th; the most babies were born in 1993 (2,618). Over the last ten years it has moved down 703 places. More babies were named Hayley in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Hayley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Hayley in the US.
Where is Hayley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Hayley was most common in Massachusetts (0.43 per 1,000 girls), followed by New York and New Hampshire.