girl's name
Hadley
HAD-lee
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 52,644
the United States
#121
2025 births
Hadley is a girl's name of English origin meaning "heather meadow," from the Old English hæth, heather or heathland, and leah, a clearing. It began as a place name and surname before becoming a given name.
- Hadley is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2014, when 3,060 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,463 babies in the United States is given this name.
- Hadley started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
- First appears in US birth records in 1906.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Hadley over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 36 |
| 1910s | 130 |
| 1920s | 178 |
| 1930s | 134 |
| 1940s | 123 |
| 1950s | 103 |
| 1960s | 131 |
| 1970s | 264 |
| 1980s | 467 |
| 1990s | 1,393 |
| 2000s | 5,322 |
| 2010s | 25,871 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 14,539 |
What Hadley means
Hadley means a clearing where heather grows, from hæth and leah. Like most -ley names it describes terrain, naming the land a family came from rather than any quality of the family.
Where Hadley comes from
Hadley combines the Old English hæth, meaning heath or heather, with leah, a woodland clearing — the same second element behind Ashley, Bradley and Wesley. Villages named Hadley exist in Shropshire, Hertfordshire and elsewhere, and the surname derives from them. The first element gives English heath and heathen, the latter originally meaning someone who lived out on the heath, away from the settled and Christianised towns. Hadley's use as a given name is modern and American, boosted by Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemingway's first wife, whose story reached a wide audience through Paula McLain's novel.
Hadley in use
Heathen originally meant someone living out on the heath — the same root as the first half of Hadley.
How popular is Hadley?
In 2025, Hadley was given to 2,266 babies in the United States, ranking #121 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Hadley is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Hadley
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Hadley also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Hadley over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Hadley in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Hadley
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Hadley — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Hadley
What does the name Hadley mean?
Hadley means "heather meadow," from the Old English hæth and leah.
Was Hadley originally a surname?
Yes, from English villages of that name.
Is Hadley a girl's name?
It is given predominantly to girls in modern American use, though the surname is gender-neutral.
How popular is the name Hadley?
In 2025, Hadley was given to 2,266 babies in the United States, ranking #121 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Hadley?
Hadley has 2 syllables.
Is Hadley a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Hadley currently ranks #121 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.