Harley
Harley is a unisex given name. The name is derived from the Old English words hara meaning hare, and lēah, meaning wood or clearing and meadow in later development of the language. The name Harley means "hare's meadow".
Meaning & Origin of Harley
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Harley is a unisex given name. The name is derived from the Old English words hara meaning hare, and lēah, meaning wood or clearing and meadow in later development of the language. The name Harley means "hare's meadow".
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Harley
As a girl name
Harley first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1916, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2017, when 1,531 Harleys were born — ranking #202 that year. As of 2026, Harley ranks #414 for girls with 741 births, falling sharply (-34%). In total, more than 32K Harleys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Harley first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1880, with 70 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1994, when 789 Harleys were born — ranking #322 that year. As of 2026, Harley ranks #1,097 for boys with 197 births, falling sharply (-29%). In total, more than 41K Harleys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Harley
Phonetically similar names — useful when Harley is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Harley
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About the name Harley
Harley is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 41K births in the dataset. Harley's peak popularity came in 1994 when it ranked #163. Use the chart and map above to compare Harley's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1994 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "H" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.