unisex name
Harley
HAR-lee
- Origin English
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 103,098
the United States
#418
2025 births
Harley is a name of Old English origin meaning "hare's meadow." It comes from hara, hare, and leah, a woodland clearing, and began as an English place name and aristocratic surname.
- Harley is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2017, when 1,933 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,501 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Harley over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 685 |
| 1890s | 690 |
| 1900s | 686 |
| 1910s | 3,173 |
| 1920s | 4,890 |
| 1930s | 3,815 |
| 1940s | 3,215 |
| 1950s | 2,353 |
| 1960s | 1,387 |
| 1970s | 1,724 |
| 1980s | 2,532 |
| 1990s | 11,844 |
| 2000s | 13,326 |
| 2010s | 14,535 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 7,017 |
What Harley means
Harley means the clearing where hares run. Both elements are ordinary Old English landscape words, which is why the name appears independently in several English counties.
Where Harley comes from
Harley combines the Old English hara, hare, with leah, a clearing in woodland — the same leah behind Ashley, Bradley and Oakley. Villages of the name exist in Shropshire and Yorkshire, and the Harley family became Earls of Oxford; Harley Street in London, synonymous with private medicine since the nineteenth century, is named for them. Its modern life as a first name owes far more to the Harley-Davidson motorcycle, founded 1903, and its use for girls was boosted by Harley Quinn, created in 1992.
Harley in use
Our data records Harley for both sexes and shows it stable, peaking in 2017, at 145 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1880. It is one of the few names to have taken its modern character from a manufacturer rather than a person or place.
How popular is Harley?
In 2025, Harley was given to 947 babies in the United States, ranking #418 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Harley 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 Harley
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Harley also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Harley over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Harley 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 Harley
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Harley — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Harley
What does the name Harley mean?
Harley means "hare's meadow," from the Old English hara, hare, and leah, a woodland clearing.
Is Harley named after the motorcycle?
Its modern use largely is, though the place name and aristocratic surname are far older — Harley Street is named for the family.
Is Harley a boy's or a girl's name?
Both. Our data records it as unisex, and Harley Quinn boosted its use for girls after 1992.
How popular is the name Harley?
In 2025, Harley was given to 947 babies in the United States, ranking #418 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Harley?
Harley has 2 syllables.
When was Harley most popular?
Harley peaked in 2017, when 1,933 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Harley a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Harley currently ranks #145 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.