unisex name
Oakley
OHK-lee
- Origin English
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 100 (E&W)
- Births on record 40,760
the United States
#156
2025 births
Oakley is a name of Old English origin meaning "oak clearing" or "oak meadow." It comes from ac, oak, and leah, a woodland clearing, and began as a place name before becoming a surname and then a first name.
- Oakley is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in US records in 2024, when 2,692 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in US records.
- Today about 1 in 375 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1884.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Oakley over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. Oakley is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. 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 | 22 |
| 1890s | 67 |
| 1900s | 74 |
| 1910s | 364 |
| 1920s | 429 |
| 1930s | 244 |
| 1940s | 179 |
| 1950s | 134 |
| 1960s | 83 |
| 1970s | 64 |
| 1980s | 91 |
| 1990s | 388 |
| 2000s | 1,148 |
| 2010s | 8,652 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 14,806 |
What Oakley means
Oakley means the clearing where oaks grow. The second element specifically describes open ground within woodland rather than a field, which is why so many English place names end in -ley.
Where Oakley comes from
Oakley combines the Old English ac, oak, with leah, a clearing or glade in a wood. Several villages in England carry the name, and families taking their surname from one of them produced Oakley as a hereditary name. Its move to first-name use is recent and largely American in origin, though the sharpshooter Annie Oakley — born Phoebe Ann Mosey, who took the name from a Cincinnati neighborhood — is the association most people reach for. The oak itself carried weight in English tradition as a symbol of endurance and, after 1651, of royalty.
Oakley in use
Our data records Oakley for both sexes and shows it peaking in 2024, still rising, at 33 in England and Wales against 156 in the United States. It first appears in our records in 1884, so its current use is a revival of a long-dormant name rather than a new coinage.
How popular is Oakley?
In 2025, Oakley was given to 1,406 babies in England and Wales, ranking #33 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Where Oakley is used
England and Wales figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year. The historical chart above uses US records, the only series running back to 1880. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Oakley
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Oakley also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Oakley over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Oakley
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Oakley 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 Oakley
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Oakley — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Oakley
What does the name Oakley mean?
Oakley means "oak clearing," from the Old English ac, oak, and leah, a woodland clearing.
Is Oakley a boy's or a girl's name?
Both. Our data records it as unisex in England and Wales and in the United States.
Is Oakley named after Annie Oakley?
Not originally — it is an English place name and surname. She was born Phoebe Ann Mosey and took the name from a Cincinnati neighborhood.
How popular is the name Oakley?
In 2025, Oakley was given to 1,406 babies in England and Wales, ranking #33 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
How many syllables are in Oakley?
Oakley has 2 syllables.
When was Oakley most popular?
Oakley peaked in 2024, when 2,692 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Oakley?
Oakley is usually shortened to Oak and Oaks.
Is Oakley a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Oakley currently ranks #33 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.