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Home › Baby Names Directory › Wesley

Wesley

♀ Girl

Pronounced WEHS-lee /ˈwɛs.li/Medium

Meaning: West meadowMedium

In 30 seconds: Wesley is an English surname turned given name, meaning west meadow.
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Origin MediumEnglish surname Wesley that was derived from a place, English, Portuguese
MeaningWest meadow
U.S. rank (2025)#1926 ↗ Rising
2025 U.S. births101 girls (0.01% of U.S. girls)
Peak year2021
Total births (all-time)≈ 3,256

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 202118902025

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

Wesley began as an English surname taken from a place name meaning west meadow, combining the Old English words for west and a clearing or field. Used here for a girl, it follows the wider pattern of surnames moving into first-name use. Its meaning stays rooted in landscape rather than personality.

The name is long associated with men, from the actor Wesley Snipes to the Dutch footballer Wesley Sneijder, so as a girl's name it carries a crisp, surname-style feel.

Did you know? Wesley 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 - Wesley — 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

  • ★Wesley Snipes (1962-present)
    American actor and martial artist known for the 'Blade' film trilogy and 'White Men Can't Jump'.
  • ★Wesley Sneijder (1984-present)
    Dutch former professional footballer and attacking midfielder; the Netherlands' most-capped player.

If you like Wesley…

Westley— a fuller spelling of the same west-meadow place name
Ashley— a surname name built on the same Old English -ley for a meadow or clearing
Whitney— a fellow English choice
Brynley— a fellow English choice
Hartley— shares Wesley's English roots

Explore names like Wesley

By themeenglishnaturesurname-stylemodern-ending
By meaningEarth / Nature

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Wesley mean?

Wesley is usually explained as meaning 'west meadow' and is most often linked with English surname Wesley that was derived from a place tradition.

How do you pronounce Wesley?

It's commonly said WEHS-lee /ˈwɛs.li/.

Is Wesley a boy or girl name?

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

How popular is Wesley?

In 2024, Wesley ranked #2187 in the U.S. for girls, with 87 births recorded.

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