Oakley
Oakley was the 156th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,933 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 153rd; the most babies were born in 2025 (1,933). Over the last ten years it has moved up 458 places. More babies were named Oakley in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning oak clearing (place name) · Old English
Say it OHK-lee /ˈoʊkli/
- Rank in 2025
- #156 girls, up 128 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,933girls
- Girls and boys
- 70% girls, 30% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20251,933 babies
- Total since 1880
- 26,745babies recorded
What does the name Oakley mean?
Oakley is a common English place name, from Old English Acleah: ac, 'oak', and leah, 'woodland clearing', so 'a clearing in an oak wood', as Wiktionary explains. Ackley and Oakleigh are other forms of the same name. It became a surname and, as Wikipedia notes, was occasionally used as a boy's name in the US around 1900 before returning in the 2010s for both boys and girls.
āc (Old English, “oak”)lēah (Old English, “woodland clearing”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Oaklee, Oakleigh, Oaklynn, Ackley.
See also: English names, names that mean tree, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Oakley', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Oakley (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Oakley popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #156 | #454 | 1,933 | 688 |
| 2020 | #284 | #420 | 1,128 | 712 |
| 2010 | #1,758 | #1,276 | 118 | 137 |
| 2000 | #4,628 | #2,120 | 26 | 48 |
| 1990 | — | #3,420 | — | 18 |
| 1980 | — | #3,061 | — | 15 |
| 1970 | — | #3,212 | — | 10 |
| 1960 | — | #3,020 | — | 9 |
| 1950 | — | #1,416 | — | 27 |
| 1940 | — | #1,511 | — | 21 |
| 1930 | — | #1,296 | — | 31 |
| 1920 | #4,826 | #964 | 6 | 52 |
| 1910 | — | #916 | — | 13 |
| 1900 | — | #1,271 | — | 6 |
| 1890 | — | #965 | — | 6 |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Oakley, counting every spelling?
Oakley is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #126 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #156 for Oakley on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,570 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakley | 1,933 | #156 | 9,099 |
| Oaklee | 565 | #535 | 3,177 |
| Oaklie | 54 | #3,063 | 277 |
| Oaklea | 12 | #8,729 | 41 |
| Oakli | — | — | 27 |
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 Oakley?
1,933 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Oakley (0.54 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Oakley 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 4 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Oakley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Oakley?
About 15,200 people born in the US named Oakley are alive today, with a median age of 5; half are between 2 and 8. That makes Oakley 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.
Oakley by state
How common Oakley was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wyoming (6.9×), Utah (5.4×), Idaho (5.4×), West Virginia (4.8×), Montana (4.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, Massachusetts, California.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Oakley: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Oakley, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Oakley · Sibling names for Oakley
Questions about the name Oakley
What does Oakley mean?
Oakley means “oak clearing (place name)” (Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Oakley?
Oakley was the 156th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,933 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 153rd; the most babies were born in 2025 (1,933). Over the last ten years it has moved up 458 places. More babies were named Oakley in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Oakley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 70% girls, 30% boys given the name Oakley in the US.
Where is Oakley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Oakley was most common in Wyoming (7.74 per 1,000 girls), followed by Utah and Idaho.