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Home › Baby Names Directory › Burley

Burley

♂ Boy

Pronounced BUR-lee /ˈbɜːr.li/High

Meaning: Burley comes from an English surname and place name formed from Old English 'burh' (a fortified place) and 'leah' (a wood-clearing or meadow) — roughly 'clearing by the stronghold'. Several English villages bear the name, and it passed into use as a given name in the American style of adopting surnames. Its sound also overlaps with the everyday word 'burly'.Medium

In 30 seconds: Burley is an English surname-name from Old English for a 'clearing by the stronghold' (said 'BUR-lee'). It was a genuine early-1900s American boys' name, sturdy and rural in feel.
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Origin MediumEnglish
MeaningBurley comes from an English surname and place name formed from Old English 'burh' (a fortified place) and 'leah' (a wood-clearing or meadow) — roughly 'clearing by the stronghold'. Several English villages bear the name, and it passed into use as a given name in the American style of adopting surnames. Its sound also overlaps with the everyday word 'burly'.
U.S. rank (2020)#9727 ↗ Rising
2020 U.S. births7 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1921
Total births (all-time)≈ 2,310

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 192118802020

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Burley began as an English place and surname built from Old English 'burh', a fortified place, and 'leah', a clearing or meadow. Like many such surnames it crossed into use as a first name in the United States, where sturdy, plain masculine names were in fashion in the late eighteen-hundreds and early nineteen-hundreds. Its sound also nods to the word 'burly', reinforcing a rugged impression.

Burley crested near sixty boys a year around 1921 and then declined steadily through the century, lingering as a rarity into recent decades. A man given the name at its height would belong to the World War generation, and it reads today as a firmly antique, country-rooted choice.

Did you know? Burley doubles as the name of a type of air-cured tobacco grown across Kentucky and the upper South — a fitting echo for a name that was most at home in rural early-century America.
Overall data confidence 68%
References — Burley — English surname/place name; Old English burh + leah

Variations

BurlBurleigh

Nicknames

BurlLee

Famous Bearers

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If you like Burley…

Burl— the short form and closest relative, same rugged feel
Harley— a like -ley surname-name of the same rural era
Curley— a same-period plain masculine name with a folksy sound
Elbert— a like sturdy early-century American boys' name

Explore names like Burley

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Burley mean?

Burley is from an English surname and place name meaning a 'clearing or meadow by the fortified place', from Old English 'burh' and 'leah'.

How do you pronounce Burley?

It's said BUR-lee /ˈbɜːr.li/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Burley a boy or girl name?

Burley is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Burley?

Burley was an uncommon rural name that crested in the early nineteen-twenties and has been rare ever since.

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