Haley
Masculine · “A clearing where hay is cut”
Haley is given to girls far more often — 159,511 girls against 836 boys since 1880. See Haley as a girl name
Haley is an English place name meaning a hay clearing, and it is not the comet — the comet's name is spelled differently, said differently, and belongs to a man whose family pronounced it a third way.
How old is the name Haley?
Haley first appears in US birth records in 1916 — 109 years ago. The typical Haley alive today was born around 1991, making them about 34 years old. About 700 people named Haley are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Haley most popular?
Haley peaked in 1993, reaching #1969 nationally. See the whole 1993 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Haley
The astronomer worked out that three comets recorded at seventy-six-year intervals were one object on a long orbit, predicted its return, and died sixteen years before it arrived — which it did, on schedule, in the winter after Christmas, and was named for him by the people who had waited. His own name has been said three ways for three centuries: rhyming with valley, with daily, and with folly, and the family's own preference is not recorded with any certainty. The name used for children is a different word entirely, and the confusion between them is one of the most persistent in English naming.
Meaning
A clearing where hay is cut
The Old English elements are hay and leah, a clearing — a common pairing in English place names and a completely ordinary description of a field. The comet is Halley, a separate surname with a separate history.
Pronouncing Haley
HAY-lee
Two syllables, stress at the front. The comet's name is usually said HAL-ee, with a short first vowel.
Nicknames for Haley
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
- 1916
- Most boys named
- 199630 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1969reached in 1993
- Change vs 2013
- +20.0%6 in 2017, from 5
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.
Haleys among us
people named Haley 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
Haley 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
- The meaning is concrete and entirely pleasant.
- It is read correctly on sight by everybody.
- It works for either child, which the record confirms.
- Hayley, Hailey and Haleigh are all in heavy use and hers will be written as one of them.
- The comet will be offered as an origin and is a different name.
- It has been very well used, so she may not be the only one.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Haley to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Haley? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Haley
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Haleys are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Haley are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Haley in 2025?
- Haley is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Haley with classmates?
- Haley will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More H names
The most-given names starting with H, all years combined.
Henry#5 · Harold#991 · Harry#775 · Howard#1002 · Hunter#130 · Herbert#2641 · Herman#2363 · Harvey#251
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Haley? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Haley and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle