Harley is a unisex name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Harley means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Harley across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Harley has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Harley is a unisex name of Old English origin meaning “hare meadow”. From an English place name and surname.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 71,872 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 25,165 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 1,314 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 398 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 474 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 663 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Harley per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2017 (1,933/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2012 (1,625/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2017 (101/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2017 (54/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2017 (43/yr).
Harley has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2017, when it ranked #368 nationally (given to 3,656 babies that year).
Harlow · Harlee · Harleigh · Hurley · Harlie · Harrell · Harlowe · Harrel
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