unisex name
Presley
PREZ-lee
- Origin English
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 40,579
the United States
#225
2025 births
Presley is a unisex name of English origin meaning "priest's meadow". It began as a place name in the north of England, became a surname, and reached almost everyone through Elvis Presley. It is one of the very few surname-names given to girls more often than boys.
- Presley is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2014, when 1,886 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,286 babies in the United States is given this name.
- Presley started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Presley 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 | 17 |
| 1890s | 19 |
| 1900s | 39 |
| 1910s | 146 |
| 1920s | 195 |
| 1930s | 168 |
| 1940s | 187 |
| 1950s | 205 |
| 1960s | 119 |
| 1970s | 152 |
| 1980s | 195 |
| 1990s | 1,834 |
| 2000s | 7,797 |
| 2010s | 16,683 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 8,967 |
What Presley means
Presley describes a clearing or meadow belonging to a priest, from the Old English preost and leah. The second element ends a great many English place names and simply means an open space in woodland.
Where Presley comes from
Presley is a habitational surname from settlements called Priestley in Yorkshire and Lancashire, built from the Old English preost, a priest, and leah, a woodland clearing. Land held by the church was common enough that the compound appears repeatedly across northern England. The surname traveled to America with northern English and Scots-Irish families, and the name reached global recognition through Elvis Presley, whose fame is the entire reason it is used as a first name at all. Unusually for a surname-name it is now given to girls far more often than to boys, which is the reverse of the usual pattern.
Presley in use
Presley charts in all seven countries we track and peaked in 2014, making it one of the more widely traveled surname-names in current use.
How popular is Presley?
In 2025, Presley was given to 1,450 babies in the United States, ranking #225 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Presley 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 Presley
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Presley also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Presley over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Presley
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.
Presley 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.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Preslee
Sibling names for Presley
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Presley — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Presley
What does the name Presley mean?
Presley means priest's meadow, from the Old English preost and leah, a clearing in woodland.
Is Presley a boy's or a girl's name?
Both, though it is now given to girls considerably more often than to boys — the reverse of most surname-names.
Is Presley named after Elvis?
Its use as a first name follows him almost entirely. The surname is much older, but nobody chose it as a given name in any number before he was famous.
How popular is the name Presley?
In 2025, Presley was given to 1,450 babies in the United States, ranking #225 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Presley?
Presley has 2 syllables.
When was Presley most popular?
Presley peaked in 2014, when 1,886 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Presley?
Presley is usually shortened to Lee.
Is Presley a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Presley currently ranks #225 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.