Stanley
Stanley is a toponymic surname, a contraction of stan and leigh (meadow), later also being used as a masculine given name.
Meaning & Origin of Stanley
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Stanley is a toponymic surname, a contraction of stan and leigh (meadow), later also being used as a masculine given name.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Stanley
Stanley first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 65 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1954, when 6,448 Stanleys were born — ranking #58 that year. As of 2026, Stanley ranks #877 for baby boys with 272 births, falling sharply (-15%). In total, more than 302K Stanleys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Stanley
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Stanley Adams (actor) (1915–1977), American actor and screenwriter
- Stanley Adams (singer) (1907–1994), American singer and lyricist
- Stanley Adams (whistleblower) (born c. 1927), Swiss pharmaceutical company executive and corporate whistleblower
- Stanley T. Adams (1922–1999), American Army officer, recipient of the Medal of Honor during the Korean War
- Stanley Theodore Adams (born 1966), American serial killer
- Stanley Amis (1924–2021), British architect
- Stanley Andrisse (born 1983), American endocrinologist
- Stan Arthur (born 1935), U.S. Navy officer; Vice Chief of Naval Operations (1992–95)
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Where is Stanley most common?
Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.
- United States43%
- Nigeria21%
- United Kingdom13%
- Ireland12%
- Australia11%
Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.
Names that sound like Stanley
Phonetically similar names — useful when Stanley 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 Stanley
What does the name Stanley mean?
How popular is Stanley in 2026?
When was Stanley most popular?
In which U.S. states is Stanley most popular?
Is Stanley a unisex name?
What names go well with Stanley?
About the name Stanley
Stanley is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 302K births in the dataset. Stanley's peak popularity came in 1954 when it ranked #34. Use the chart and map above to compare Stanley's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1954 →
- Names of the 1950s →
- Names starting with "S" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.