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Presley

♂ Boy

Pronounced PREHS-lee /ˈpɹɛs.li/Medium

Meaning: Priest clearingMedium

In 30 seconds: Presley is an English name meaning 'priest clearing'. Long a surname, it now reads as a confident given name.
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Origin MediumEnglish
MeaningPriest clearing
U.S. rank (2024)#1740 ↘ Falling
2024 U.S. births95 boys (0.01% of U.S. boys)
Peak year2009
Total births (all-time)≈ 4,857

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 200918802024

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

History & Origin

Presley comes from an English place-and-surname origin meaning 'priest clearing', a wooded patch once tied to a church. It served for generations as a family name before being adopted as a first name. The meaning roots it in the old English landscape.

Bearers span eras, from the naval Surgeon General Presley Marion Rixey (1852-1928) to the model Presley Gerber (born 1999), son of Cindy Crawford. The name has a soft, gliding sound that softens its rugged surname history.

Did you know? Presley likely reached first-name use through a surname or place-name route, which gives it that modern borrowed-from-history feel.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Presley — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

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Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • ★Presley Marion Rixey (1852-1928)
    American rear admiral who served as Surgeon General of the United States Navy from 1902 to 1910 and was personal physician to Presidents McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.
  • ★Presley Gerber (b. 1999)
    American fashion model signed to IMG Models, the son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber.

If you like Presley…

Wesley— An English place-name surname with the same '-ley' clearing ending.
Beckett— Another English surname adopted as a modern boy's first name.
Easton— An English place-name turned given name with a similar feel.

Frequently Asked

What does the name Presley mean?

Presley is usually explained as meaning 'priest clearing' and is most often linked with English tradition.

How do you pronounce Presley?

It's commonly said PREHS-lee /ˈpɹɛs.li/.

Is Presley a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Presley is used as a boy name.

How popular is Presley?

In 2024, Presley ranked #1740 in the U.S. for boys, with 95 births recorded.