Harley
From an English place name and surname joining Old English hara, hare, with leah, a woodland clearing, so roughly the hares' meadow.
Harley in 2025
Harley was given to 947 babies in the United States in 2025 — 199 boys and 748 girls, making it the 684th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 3,501 babies born.
The history of Harley
Harley reached its highest point in 2017, when 1,933 babies were given the name, ranking 368th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 358th, in 1880.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 71,872 babies have been named Harley. Half of them were born before 1999, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Z.
Harley by decade
| Decade | Babies named Harley | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 685 | 358 |
| 1890s | 690 | 456 |
| 1900s | 686 | 543 |
| 1910s | 3,173 | 507 |
| 1920s | 4,890 | 530 |
| 1930s | 3,815 | 561 |
| 1940s | 3,215 | 649 |
| 1950s | 2,353 | 898 |
| 1960s | 1,387 | 1,350 |
| 1970s | 1,724 | 1,179 |
| 1980s | 2,532 | 1,109 |
| 1990s | 11,844 | 369 |
| 2000s | 13,326 | 426 |
| 2010s | 14,535 | 368 |
| 2020s | 7,017 | 468 |
Where Harley is heading
Harley has fallen 38% over the past decade, from 1,531 babies in 2015 to 947 in 2025.
Names like Harley
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Harley.