Given name & surname
Hanley
“from the high meadow”
Hanley is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the high meadow.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the high 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 1913. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Hanley through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 943
- 669 boys · 274 girls
- Most popular year
- 2014
- 53 babies
- 2025
- 20
- #9,080 for girls · #8,488 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −51%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 11 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 9,080 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 48.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 22 in 2011. It also appeared in 9 birth records for boys in 2025. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 753 as a first name in 2020; 17,920 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.
Hanley’s family of names
Hanley has a related form in Handlea. Hanley has a related form in Handleah. Hanley has a related form in Handleigh.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 13
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Handleyvariant
- Handlivariant
- Handlievariant
- Handlyvariant
- Handleahvariant
- Handleighvariant
- Handleavariant
- Hanlivariant
Show 5 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Hanley
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Hanley, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Arley
“from the hare's meadow”
68% boys · 32% girls
Oakley
“from the field of oak trees” · “from the meadow of oak trees”
35% boys · 65% girls
Sage
“wise one; type of spice”
32% boys · 68% girls
Rowan
“of the red-berry tree”
74% boys · 26% girls
River
“from the river”
65% boys · 35% girls
Hayden
“from the hedged valley”
68% boys · 32% girls
Morgen
“circling the bright sea; a sea dweller”
38% boys · 62% girls
Parker
“the keeper of the park”
65% boys · 35% girls