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Orley
How to Pronounce Orley
Pronounced OR-lee /หษหrli/Medium
Meaning: Orley is best read as a surname-style name, most likely from an English place name ending in -ley, 'wood' or 'clearing', perhaps with a first element for a person or a boar. It has also been linked by some families to a Hebrew phrase for 'light is mine'. The route is uncertain, so the meaning is given cautiously.Low
Popularity in the U.S. ยท SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880โpresent). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Orley reads as a surname-style given name, most plausibly from an English place name in -ley, 'wood' or 'clearing'. Some families instead tie it to a Hebrew phrase meaning 'light is mine'. American use was quiet and scattered around the turn of the twentieth century.
It was never common, a couple dozen boys a year at most around the nineteen-teens, and it faded by mid-century. A boy given it then would be a great-grandfather now, and it reads as an old surname-style name rather than a modern one.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Orley mean?
It's most likely a surname-style name from an English place name meaning a wood or clearing; the route is uncertain.
How do you pronounce Orley?
It's said OR-lee /หษหrli/, two syllables, stress on the first.
Is Orley a boy or girl name?
Orley is used as a boy's name.
Is Orley a popular name?
No, it was always rare, an old surname-style name seen only slightly in the early twentieth century.