Stanley is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Stanley means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Stanley across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Stanley has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Stanley is a boy name of Old English origin meaning “stony clearing”. originally a place name and surname.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 302,862 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 16,166 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 313 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 35 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 129 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 Stanley per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1954 (6,472/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2015 (1,078/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2015 (19/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1974 (7/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2017 (7/yr).
Stanley has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1954, when it ranked #126 nationally (given to 6,472 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1950s.
Stanislaw · Stanly · Stanely · Stanleigh · Stanlee · Stan-Lee · Stanlie
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