Given name & surname
Presley
“of the priest's town”·“from the priest's meadow”
Presley is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “of the priest's town” (English) and “from the priest's meadow” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “of the priest's town” (English) and “from the priest's 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 prēost (“priest”), built from English priest + -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
Presley through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 36,723
- 4,945 boys · 31,778 girls
- Most popular year
- 2014
- 1,886 babies
- 2025
- 1,450
- #225 for girls · #1,819 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −7%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 7% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,362 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 225 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 6.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,743 in 2014. It also appeared in 88 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (162). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 24,721 as a first name in 2020; 17,640 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.
Presley’s family of names
In English usage, Presley shares a linguistic root with the Welsh form Prys. Presley has a related form in Preslee. Presley has a related form in Preslie.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 20
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
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 Presley
- Presley ChweneyagaeSouth African actor (1984-2025)
- Presley O'BannonAmerican politician (1776-1850)
- Presley CarsonHonduran footballer1968–2024
- Presley SpruanceAmerican politician1785–1863
- Presley GerberAmerican model (1999-2026)
- Presley SmithUS American badminton playerborn 2003
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Presley, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Harley
“from the meadow of the hares”
20% boys · 80% girls
Marley
“from the meadow near the lake”
13% boys · 87% girls
Stella
“star of the sea”
>99% girls
Wren
“resembling a small songbird”
13% boys · 87% girls
Winter
“born during the winter season”
6% boys · 94% girls
Poppy
“resembling the red flower”
>99% girls
Hallie
“from the hall” · “woman of the sea”
>99% girls
Blakely
“from the dark meadow”
1% boys · 99% girls