Westley
Westley was the 619th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 453 babies. Its best year was 1988, when it ranked 562nd; the most babies were born in 2025 (453). Over the last ten years it has moved up 399 places. More babies were named Westley in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning western clearing (English place name) · Old English
Say it WEST-lee /ˈwɛstli/
- Rank in 2025
- #619 boys, up 128 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 453boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025453 babies
- Total since 1880
- 10,184babies recorded
What does the name Westley mean?
Westley is an English place name and surname from Old English west and lēah, a woodland clearing, so "western clearing." Wiktionary notes that the Suffolk village was recorded as Westlea in the Domesday Book of 1086. Wiktionary lists Westleys in Hampshire, Shropshire and Suffolk, and a place in California. Wesley is a similar name. Westley has been used as an American boys' name since 1887.
west (Old English, “west”)lēah (Old English, “woodland clearing”)
How sure is this? Well established. Wiktionary only; the Wesley link is by analogy.
Related names: Wesley, Westleigh, Wes.
See also: English names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Westley' (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)
Nicknames for Westley
The usual nicknames for Westley are Wes. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Westley in the last five years, 82 were named Wes, against 53 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wes · also for Wesson, Wesley, Weston | Traditional | #716 | 1,615 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Westleys go by each one.
Westley popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 65 since 1988, 9 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #619 | 453 |
| 2020 | #747 | 325 |
| 2010 | #1,515 | 108 |
| 2000 | #1,740 | 65 |
| 1990 | #735 | 194 |
| 1980 | #988 | 84 |
| 1970 | #1,062 | 60 |
| 1960 | #1,462 | 31 |
| 1950 | #1,433 | 27 |
| 1940 | #1,468 | 22 |
| 1930 | #1,426 | 27 |
| 1920 | #1,691 | 22 |
| 1910 | #1,191 | 9 |
| 1900 | #739 | 13 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Westley, counting every spelling?
Westley is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #595 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #619 for Westley on its own. Together these spellings went to 474 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westley | 453 | #619 | 1,979 |
| Westly | 15 | #6,116 | 65 |
| Westlee | 6 | #11,913 | 56 |
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 Westley?
453 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Westley (0.13 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Westley 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 19 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Westley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Westley?
About 8,800 people born in the US named Westley are alive today, with a median age of 18; half are between 6 and 38. That makes Westley 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.
Westley by state
How common Westley was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Oregon (4.1×), Idaho (2.9×), Washington (2.4×), Nebraska (2.4×), Colorado (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Connecticut, Arkansas, Georgia.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Westley: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Westley, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Westley · Sibling names for Westley
Questions about the name Westley
What does Westley mean?
Westley means “western clearing (English place name)” (Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Westley?
Westley was the 619th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 453 babies. Its best year was 1988, when it ranked 562nd; the most babies were born in 2025 (453). Over the last ten years it has moved up 399 places. More babies were named Westley in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Westley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Westley in the US.
Where is Westley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Westley was most common in Oregon (0.95 per 1,000 boys), followed by Idaho and Montana.