Presley
Feminine · “priest's meadow or clearing”
Presley is given to both — 31,778 girls and 4,945 boys since 1880. See Presley as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Presley began as an English place name — a priest's meadow — then became a surname, and only lately a first name given to children. Its rise as a given name follows the fame of Elvis Presley, whose surname turned a quiet Old English compound into one of the most recognizable words in American music. Said aloud it is two easy beats with a soft z in the middle, the same tidy shape as Hadley, Finley and Riley.
How old is the name Presley?
Presley first appears in US birth records in 1977 — 48 years ago. The typical Presley is a kid of about 10 — this name's wave is very recent. About 31,500 people named Presley are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Presley most popular?
Presley peaked in 2015, reaching #188 nationally. Today it ranks #225, 37 places below that high. See the whole 2015 chart.
Where it comes from
From Old English prēost + lēah to Presley
The story of Presley
The name comes from small places in England named for a clearing that belonged to a priest, and families who came from such places carried the name with them. Spelled variously over the centuries, it settled into both Priestley and Presley, and traveled to America as a surname among English and Scots-Irish settlers, taking root especially in the South. Its life as a first name is much younger: American parents began giving it to children after Elvis Presley made the surname worldwide shorthand for a whole era of music. That path — surname to first name, fame to nursery — is the same one Lincoln, Harper and Kennedy took.
Meaning
priest's meadow or clearing
From Old English prēost (priest) and lēah (woodland clearing, meadow) — the same compound behind the surname Priestley.
How the name formed
- Old English prēost + lēah
- PriestleyEnglish place and surname
- Presleysurname
- Presleygiven name
Pronouncing Presley
PREZ-lee
Stress on the first syllable, with a z sound in the middle — as in the surname. Some speakers say PRESS-lee, following the spelling.
Nicknames for Presley
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
- 1977
- Most girls named
- 20141,743 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #188reached in 2015
- Change vs 2024
- −0.9%1,362 in 2025, from 1,374
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.
Presley in other languages
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Florida.
Presleys among us
people named Presley are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 1,180 born in 2025 was named Presley
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Lana test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Presley's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Lana climbed just as high around 1948, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Lana's path sketches the road Presley is walking now.
Presley sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Presley is headed
Presley should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Presley beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Presley in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is transparent and documented: Old English for a priest's meadow, the same elements behind the surname Priestley.
- One spelling that Americans already recognize on sight, thanks to a famous surname — most people write it correctly on the first try.
- Reads exactly as it looks, so introductions rarely need a second pass.
- Established short forms in real use: Pres and Prez.
- Given to both girls and boys in the US, so it does not lock a family into one road.
- The Elvis association is permanent and immediate. Most people will make the connection out loud at least once, and warmly — but a child who dislikes being asked about it will be asked anyway.
- Pressley, Preslee and Presleigh all circulate, so expect to spell it now and then even though your version is the familiar one.
- In US records it now leans strongly toward girls. A boy named Presley will meet the occasional wrong assumption on a class list, which is worth knowing in advance rather than being surprised by.
- This is a very recent wave, so nearly everyone carrying the name is still young — there are few grown Presleys around to make it feel established.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Presley
Feminine · #225 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Presleys are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 31,500 people named Presley are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Presley in 2025?
- Presley ranks #225 among US girl names in 2025, with 1,362 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Presley?
- About 1 in every 1,180 US girls born in 2025 was named Presley — 1,362 in all.
- Will my child share the name Presley with classmates?
- Presley will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Presley
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Noa#226 · Alaina#224 · Elise#223 · Gracie#227 · Brianna#222 · Mackenzie#228 · Kiara#229 · Jane#221
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Presley? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Presley and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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