Given name & surname
Hadley
“from the field of heather”·“from the heather meadow”
Hadley is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “from the field of heather” (English) and “from the heather meadow” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “from the field of heather” (English) and “from the heather meadow” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
From Old English hǣþ (“heath”), from Old English leah (“woodland clearing”), built from English heath + -leigh.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1906. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Hadley through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 48,691
- 2,096 boys · 46,595 girls
- Most popular year
- 2014
- 3,060 babies
- 2025
- 2,266
- #121 for girls · #6,938 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −11%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 1% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 2,254 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 121 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 11.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 3,015 in 2014. It also appeared in 12 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (174). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 32,200 as a first name in 2020; 21,312 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.
Hadley’s family of names
Hadley has a related form in Haddy. Hadley has a related form in Hadlee. Hadley has a related form in Hadleigh.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 23
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Hadley
- Hadley Richardsonfirst wife of author Ernest Hemingway (1891–1979)
- Hadley FraserBritish actorborn 1980
- Hadley FreemanAmerican-British journalistborn 1978
- Hadley RobinsonAmerican actressborn 1995
- Hadley CalimanAmerican saxophonist (1932-2010)
- Hadley WickhamNew Zealand statistician (born 1979)
- Hadley GambleAmerican television journalistborn 1982
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Hadley, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ainsley
“one's own meadow”
1% boys · 99% girls
Harley
“from the meadow of the hares”
20% boys · 80% girls
Daisy
“of the day's eye; resembling a flower”
>99% girls
Sydney
“of the wide meadow”
2% boys · 98% girls
Presley
“of the priest's town” · “from the priest's meadow”
7% boys · 93% girls
Marley
“from the meadow near the lake”
13% boys · 87% girls
Hallie
“from the hall” · “woman of the sea”
>99% girls
Harlee
“from the meadow of the hares”
3% boys · 97% girls