Presley
Masculine · “priest's meadow”
Presley is given to both — 4,945 boys and 31,778 girls since 1880. See Presley as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Presley is the priest's clearing — an English place name from preost and leah — and one performer made it a given name in a single generation.
How old is the name Presley?
Presley was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Presley alive today was born around 2007, making them about 18 years old. About 4,200 people named Presley are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Presley most popular?
Presley peaked in 1881, reaching #706 nationally. Today it ranks #1808, 1,102 places below that high. See the whole 1881 chart.
Where it comes from
From preost leah to Presley
The story of Presley
Presley and Priestley were English place names and surnames; Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen. Elvis Presley made the surname internationally known from 1956, and American families began using it as a given name for both sexes — for girls in larger numbers from the 2000s. It is in current use.
Meaning
priest's meadow
From the Old English preost, 'priest', and leah, 'wood' or 'clearing' — land belonging to a parish priest. Both elements are ordinary and the compound is transparent. Priestley is the same name with the vowel unreduced. The reading is documented and undisputed.
How the name formed
- preost leah
- Presley
Related forms: Priestley · Pressley
Pronouncing Presley
PREZ-lee
Two syllables, stress on the first. Presley and Pressley are said identically.
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
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 2017142 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #706reached in 1881
- Change vs 2022
- −33.3%88 in 2025, from 132
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
The same name elsewhere
- Priestley in English — related form
- Pressley in English — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Florida.
Presleys among us
people named Presley are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 19,410 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
Fashion outlook
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.
Medium 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 boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The priest's-meadow meaning is concrete and belongs to a real family of place names.
- Lee is available as a short form with an enormous record.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk.
- The association with one performer is total.
- It is thoroughly unisex and reads as more feminine in current American use.
- It reads as a surname before it reads as a given name.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Presley
Masculine · #1808 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 4,200 people named Presley are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Presley in 2025?
- Presley ranks #1808 among US boy names in 2025, with 88 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Presley?
- About 1 in every 19,410 US boys born in 2025 was named Presley — 88 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.
Gentry#1808 · Avrohom#1808 · Alakai#1808 · Callaway#1808 · Arsiah#1808 · Honor#1808 · Tyree#1808 · Tamir#1808
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Presley? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Presley and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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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
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