Given name & surname
Whitley
“from the white meadow”
Whitley is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the white meadow.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the white meadow.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
From Old English hwīt (“white”), built from English white + -leigh (“lea”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1914. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Whitley through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 8,991
- 843 boys · 8,148 girls
- Most popular year
- 1988
- 521 babies
- 2025
- 508
- #677 for girls · #1,823 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +45%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 15% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 420 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 677 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 40.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 508 in 1988. 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 (61). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,835 as a first name in 2020; 25,367 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.
Whitley’s family of names
Whitley has a related form in Whitlee. Whitley has a related form in Whitlea. Whitley has a related form in Whitlei.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 31
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Whitleevariant
- Whitleighvariant
- Whitlievariant
- Whitlivariant
- Whittleyvariant
- Wytleevariant
- Wytleighvariant
- Wytlievariant
Show 23 moreShow fewer
- Wytlivariant
- Wytlyvariant
- Wytleyvariant
- Witleevariant
- Witleighvariant
- Witlievariant
- Witlivariant
- Witlyvariant
- Witleyvariant
- Whytleighvariant
- Whytleevariant
- Whytlievariant
- Whytlivariant
- Whytlyvariant
- Whytleyvariant
- Whitlyvariant
- Whytleivariant
- Whitleivariant
- Whytlyavariant
- Whytleavariant
- Whitlyavariant
- Whitliavariant
- Whitleavariant
People named Whitley
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Whitley, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Halley
“from the hall near the meadow”
>99% girls
Holly
“of the holly tree”
>99% girls
Raven
Raven is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “resembling the black bird; a dark and mysterious beauty” (English) and “resembling the blackbird; a dark and mysterious man” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
5% boys · 95% girls
Carley
“from the farmer's meadow”
>99% girls
Afton
“from the Afton river”
16% boys · 84% girls
Summer
“refers to the season; born in summer”
>99% girls
Autumn
“born in the fall”
>99% girls
Star
“a celestial body” · “a celestial body; as bright as a star”
4% boys · 96% girls