Given name & surname
Harley
“from the meadow of the hares”
Harley is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the meadow of the hares.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the meadow of the hares.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
From Old English hær (“rock”), built from English hare + -leigh (“lea”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Harley through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 71,872
- 40,705 boys · 31,167 girls
- Most popular year
- 2017
- 1,933 babies
- 2025
- 947
- #418 for girls · #1,083 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −33%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 20% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 748 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 418 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 33.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,532 in 2017. It also appeared in 199 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (116). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 43,968 as a first name in 2020; 11,376 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.
Harley’s family of names
In English usage, Harley has a related form in Harlee. Harley has a related form in Harlee. Harley has a related form in Harlie.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 20
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Harley
- FlumeAustralian music producerborn 1991
- Harley Jane KozakAmerican actress and writerborn 1957
- Harley Quinn SmithAmerican actress and musicianborn 1999
- Harley RaceAmerican professional wrestler, promoter and trainer (1943–2019)
- Harley Granville-BarkerBritish actor and playwright (1877–1946)
- Harley EarlAmerican designer (1893-1969)
- Harley Cokelissdirector (born 1945)
- Harley Windsorpairs figure skaterborn 1996
- Harley RoudaAmerican politicianborn 1961
Characters named Harley: Harley Quinn (DC Comics), Mr. Harley Quin (fictional human), Harley Quinn (DC Extended Universe character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Harley, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Marley
“from the meadow near the lake”
13% boys · 87% girls
Presley
“of the priest's town” · “from the priest's meadow”
7% boys · 93% girls
Hallie
“from the hall” · “woman of the sea”
>99% girls
Stella
“star of the sea”
>99% girls
Winter
“born during the winter season”
6% boys · 94% girls
Wren
“resembling a small songbird”
13% boys · 87% girls
Poppy
“resembling the red flower”
>99% girls
Blakely
“from the dark meadow”
1% boys · 99% girls