Given name & surname · also Old English
Manley
“from the man's meadow; from the hero's meadow”
Manley is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the man's meadow; from the hero's meadow.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the man's meadow; from the hero's meadow.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old English.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Manley through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,251
- 2,251 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1927
- 67 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 2023. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 67 in 1927. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 839 as a first name in 2020; 23,615 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.
Manley’s family of names
Manley has a related form in Manli. Manley has a related form in Manly. Manley has a related form in Manlea.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
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 Manley
- Sonny CarterAmerican physician, soccer player, Navy officer, and astronaut (1947-1991)
- Big YouthJamaican deejayborn 1949
- Manley Ottmer Hudsonlawyer for public international law (1886-1960)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Manley, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Hurley
“a healthy woman” · “of the sea tide”
96% boys · 4% girls
Wilton
“from the town on the river”
>99% boys
Early
“daughter born prematurely” · “one who is punctual”
>99% boys
Irving
“a triend of the sea”
>99% boys
Orrin
“from the river”
>99% boys
Dudley
“from the people's meadow”
>99% boys
Morley
“woman from the moor” · “from the meadow on the moor”
92% boys · 8% girls
Mansfield
“from the field near the small river”
>99% boys