Henley
Henley was the 1001st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 252 babies. Its best year was 2016, when it ranked 511th with 608 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 443 places. More babies were named Henley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning high clearing (English place name) · Old English
Say it HEN-lee /ˈhɛnli/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,001 girls, down 418 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 252girls
- Girls and boys
- 81% girls, 19% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2016608 babies
- Total since 1880
- 8,272babies recorded
What does the name Henley mean?
Henley is an English place name and surname from Old English hēah, high, in its form hēan, plus lēah, woodland clearing, so "high clearing," according to Wiktionary. Places of the name include Henley-on-Thames and Henley-in-Arden, and Hanley has the same origin. As a given name it has been used in the US since 1912 for boys and since 1991 for girls.
hēah (Old English, “high”)lēah (Old English, “woodland clearing”)
How sure is this? Well established. Wiktionary only.
Related names: Hanley, Hensley.
See also: English names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Henley' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Henley popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,001 | #2,194 | 252 | 65 |
| 2020 | #583 | #2,173 | 500 | 64 |
| 2010 | #1,877 | #2,701 | 108 | 45 |
| 2000 | #8,784 | — | 11 | — |
| 1990 | — | — | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — | — | — |
| 1970 | — | #5,017 | — | 5 |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | #2,563 | — | 9 |
| 1930 | — | #3,773 | — | 6 |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Henley, counting every spelling?
Henley is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #907 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,001 for Henley on its own. Together these spellings went to 273 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henley | 252 | #1,001 | 1,751 |
| Henlee | 21 | #5,794 | 176 |
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 Henley?
252 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Henley (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Henley 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 33 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Henley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Henley?
About 6,700 people born in the US named Henley are alive today, with a median age of 9; half are between 5 and 11. That makes Henley 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.
Henley by state
How common Henley was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Nebraska (3.6×), Tennessee (3.5×), Mississippi (3.4×), Missouri (2.9×), Kansas (2.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New York, New Jersey, Maryland.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Henley: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Henley, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Henley · Sibling names for Henley
Questions about the name Henley
What does Henley mean?
Henley means “high clearing (English place name)” (Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Henley?
Henley was the 1001st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 252 babies. Its best year was 2016, when it ranked 511th with 608 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 443 places. More babies were named Henley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Henley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 81% girls, 19% boys given the name Henley in the US.
Where is Henley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Henley was most common in Nebraska (0.78 per 1,000 girls), followed by North Dakota and Tennessee.