Chesley
Feminine · “From an English surname”
Chesley is given to both — 625 girls and 2,294 boys since 1880. See Chesley as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Chesley is an English surname used as a first name, and two Americans who carried it made the sky feel closer: a pilot who brought a powerless airliner down safely on the Hudson, and a painter who showed Americans what Saturn would look like before any spacecraft left the ground.
How old is the name Chesley?
Chesley first appears in US birth records in 1921 — 104 years ago. The typical Chesley alive today was born around 1991, making them about 34 years old. About 600 people named Chesley are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Chesley most popular?
Chesley peaked in 1989, reaching #3253 nationally. See the whole 1989 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Chesley
Chesley was in use as a first name in America when federal records began, most often for boys. During the Second World War Life magazine published Chesley Bonestell's painting of Saturn as seen from its moon Titan, and his precise, luminous space art went on to shape how a generation imagined space travel, in magazines, books and films. In 2009 Captain Chesley Sullenberger, known as Sully, lost both engines of his airliner to a flock of geese after takeoff from LaGuardia and landed it on the Hudson River; all 155 people aboard survived.
Meaningscholars disagree
From an English surname, probably a place name
Chesley is an English surname, probably from a place name ending in ley, 'clearing'; the first element is not settled.
Pronouncing Chesley
CHEZ-lee
Two syllables with the stress on the first.
Nicknames for Chesley
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1921
- Most girls named
- 198932 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3253reached in 1989
- Change vs 2022
- −30.0%7 in 2023, from 10
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Chesleys among us
people named Chesley are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Chesley sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Carries two admired modern bearers.
- Easy to say and spell.
- Rare, so a Chesley is unlikely to meet another.
- People will hear Chelsea or Wesley.
- As a surname-first name it may be taken for a last name.
- Most children with this spelling are boys, but a real minority are girls; either may be taken for the other.
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What they receive
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Chesley
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Chesleys are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Chesley are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Chesley in 2025?
- Chesley is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Chesley with classmates?
- Chesley will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More C names
The most-given names starting with C, all years combined.
Carol#2239 · Cynthia#1013 · Catherine#313 · Christine#1272 · Carolyn#1222 · Christina#770 · Charlotte#2 · Cheryl#4352
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Chesley? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Chesley and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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