Wesley
Wesley was the 52nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 5,578 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 74 places. More babies were named Wesley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning western meadow (surname) · Old English
Say it WES-lee /ˈwɛsli/
- Rank in 2025
- #52 boys, up 46 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 5,578boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20255,578 babies
- Total since 1880
- 250,969babies recorded
What does the name Wesley mean?
Wesley is an English surname taken from places whose names joined Old English west, 'west', with leah, a wood or clearing. As a first name it spread in the 18th and 19th centuries in honor of John and Charles Wesley, the founders of Methodism, especially among Methodist families in Britain and America. Today it is used without that religious link. Wes is the usual short form.
west (Old English, “west”)lēah (Old English, “wood, clearing, meadow”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: English names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Wesley', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Wesley (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Wesley
The usual nicknames for Wesley are Wes. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Wesley in the last five years, 7 were named Wes, against 2 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wes · also for Wesson, Weston, Westley | Traditional | #716 | 1,615 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Wesleys go by each one.
Wesley popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 3,256 since 1890, 101 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #52 | 5,578 |
| 2020 | #98 | 3,706 |
| 2010 | #159 | 2,431 |
| 2000 | #171 | 2,216 |
| 1990 | #107 | 3,316 |
| 1980 | #95 | 3,165 |
| 1970 | #152 | 2,059 |
| 1960 | #164 | 2,020 |
| 1950 | #165 | 1,527 |
| 1940 | #152 | 1,129 |
| 1930 | #142 | 1,186 |
| 1920 | #129 | 1,244 |
| 1910 | #152 | 209 |
| 1900 | #128 | 181 |
| 1890 | #117 | 131 |
| 1880 | #109 | 123 |
How popular is Wesley, counting every spelling?
Wesley is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #61 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #52 for Wesley on its own. Together these spellings went to 5,642 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wesley | 5,578 | #52 | 24,179 |
| Weslee | 51 | #2,600 | 236 |
| Wesly | 13 | #6,781 | 55 |
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 Wesley?
5,578 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Wesley (1.55 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Wesley born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 35. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Wesley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Wesley?
About 190,700 people born in the US named Wesley are alive today, with a median age of 33; half are between 12 and 49. That makes Wesley mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Wesley by state
How common Wesley was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Vermont (4.5×), Maine (3.4×), New Hampshire (3.4×), Wyoming (3.0×), Rhode Island (2.4×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Texas, Florida, California.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Wesley: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Wesley, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Wesley · Sibling names for Wesley
Questions about the name Wesley
What does Wesley mean?
Wesley means “western meadow (surname)” (Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Wesley?
Wesley was the 52nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 5,578 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 74 places. More babies were named Wesley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Wesley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Wesley in the US.
Where is Wesley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Wesley was most common in Vermont (12.74 per 1,000 boys), followed by Maine and New Hampshire.