Meaning & origin
What it means
Worley is a form of Warley. Warley goes back to Old English wer, meaning “weir, dam.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
Worley is a form of Warley. Warley comes from Old English.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1882. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Worley through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 730
- 730 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 32 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 1971. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 32 in 1920. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 231 as a first name in 2020; 24,345 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.
Worley’s family of names
In English usage, Worley as a surname has a related form in Warley. In English usage, Worley as a surname has a related form in WORTLEY.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Similar names
If you love Worley, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Wiley
“of the willows” · “one who is crafty; from the meadow by the water”
88% boys · 12% girls
Parley
“one who negotiates” · “a reluctant man”
93% boys · 7% girls
Worth
“enclosure”
>99% boys
Wilfred
“one who wishes for peace”
>99% boys
Wilber
“one who is willful; a bright man”
>99% boys
Olan
“the last of the ancestors”
>99% boys
Wilbert
“one who is willful; a bright man”
>99% boys
Woodrow
“from the row of houses near the forest”
>99% boys