Whitley
An English surname from several places whose names join Old English hwit, meaning white, with leah, a woodland clearing or glade.
Whitley in 2025
Whitley was given to 508 babies in the United States in 2025 — 88 boys and 420 girls, making it the 1,155th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 6,526 babies born.
The history of Whitley
Whitley reached its highest point in 1988, when 521 babies were given the name, ranking 819th that year.
Across the 112 years of records since 1914, 8,991 babies have been named Whitley. Half of them were born before 2012, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Z.
Whitley by decade
| Decade | Babies named Whitley | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 24 | 6,555 |
| 1920s | 15 | 9,232 |
| 1930s | 15 | 7,917 |
| 1940s | 6 | 7,282 |
| 1950s | 8 | 7,100 |
| 1960s | 10 | 10,712 |
| 1980s | 1,088 | 819 |
| 1990s | 2,070 | 999 |
| 2000s | 923 | 2,935 |
| 2010s | 2,311 | 1,552 |
| 2020s | 2,521 | 1,155 |
Where Whitley is heading
Whitley has risen 113% over the past decade, from 238 babies in 2015 to 508 in 2025.
Names like Whitley
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Whitley.