Given name & surname
Carley
“from the farmer's meadow”
Carley is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the farmer's meadow.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the farmer's meadow.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Carley through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 17,328
- 410 boys · 16,918 girls
- Most popular year
- 1998
- 718 babies
- 2025
- 63
- #2,725 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −46%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 63 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,725 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 45.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 713 in 1998. In 2025, Missouri and Ohio and Texas shared the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (5 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 15,392 as a first name in 2020; 4,613 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Carley’s family of names
Carley has a related form in Carla. In English usage, Carley has a related form in Carly. Carley has a related form in Carly.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Carlyvariant · English
- Carlavariant
- Carleighvariant
- Carlievariant
- Carlivariant
- Carleahvariant
- Carleavariant
- Carlleylikely variant
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Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Carley
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Carley, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Coral
Coral is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “resembling the semiprecious sea growth; from the reef.”
>99% girls
Halley
“from the hall near the meadow”
>99% girls
Marley
“from the meadow near the lake”
13% boys · 87% girls
Whitley
“from the white meadow”
15% boys · 85% girls
Autumn
“born in the fall”
>99% girls
Summer
“refers to the season; born in summer”
>99% girls
Raven
Raven is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “resembling the black bird; a dark and mysterious beauty” (English) and “resembling the blackbird; a dark and mysterious man” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
5% boys · 95% girls
Marlee
“of the marshy meadow”
2% boys · 98% girls