Hartley

♂ Boy

Pronounced HART-lee /ˈhɑrt.li/High

Meaning: From Old English heorot-leah, 'stag clearing' — deer-grazed gentry surnameHigh

In 30 seconds: Where the stags graze: Hartley clears a deer-meadow in surname tweed — philosopher-poets and rom-com leads have leased it.

Origin HighEnglish

MeaningFrom Old English heorot-leah, 'stag clearing' — deer-grazed gentry surname

U.S. rank (2025)#4076 ↘ Falling

2025 U.S. births26 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1918

Total births (all-time)≈ 1,608

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

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

Hartley is Old English heorot-leah, 'stag meadow' — a surname of philosophers (David Hartley) crossing back to first names.

It registers thinly in records. Rare, stag-meadow at the root, and antlered.

Did you know? Coleridge named his son Hartley after philosopher David Hartley — the stag-meadow grazing both psychology and poetry.

Overall data confidence 85%

Surname references — Hartley — etymology

HartleeHart

Hart

★Hartley Coleridge (1796-1849)
English poet and essayist, eldest son of Samuel Taylor Coleridge
★Hartley Shawcross (1902-2003)
British barrister and politician who served as chief British prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials

Hart— the stag itself, clipped

Huxley— a fellow thinker-surname

Hadley— the heather-meadow cousin

Harlan— the companion H- gentry pick

What does the name Hartley mean?

Hartley is Old English for 'stag meadow/clearing'.

How do you pronounce Hartley?

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

Is Hartley a boy or girl name?

Hartley is used for both sexes; this page covers its use as a boy's name.

How popular is Hartley?

Hartley is a rare name in the U.S.