Male name
Wesley
2,585 births (England and Wales, 1996–2025), peaking in 1996.
Origin
Several places in England, from Old English west (“west”) + lēah (“wood, clearing”). Equivalent to west + -ley (“lea”).From Wiktionary, entry “Wesley”, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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How many babies received it
From the official birth registers.
In England and Wales
Peak in 1996: 185 births. 2,585 births from 1996 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1990s, 2000s and 2020s. It is still given: 323 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the United States
Peak in 2025: 5,679 births. 250,969 births from 1880 to 2025. A name given steadily, decade after decade, from the 1970s to the 2020s. At its peak, it ranked 52nd among boys' names in 2025. It is still given: 24,743 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, public domain.
In Ireland
Peak in 1977: 155 births. 859 births from 1964 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. At its peak, it ranked 62nd among boys' names in 1977. It really came into use around 1977. Fewer than ten births recorded from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies' Names, CC BY 4.0.
Elsewhere in the world
The name in the birth records of the 10 countries we track. The period covered varies from country to country.
| Country | Births | Period | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 5,780 | 1900–2025 | — |
| Quebec | 700 | 1980–2025 | — |
| Switzerland | 200* | 1915–2025 | — |
* These are the people living in the country, counted by year of birth, not the number of births.
Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms, Etalab Open Licence 2.0; Retraite Québec, Banque de prénoms, CC BY 4.0; Federal Statistical Office, First names of the population by year of birth, free use with attribution.
The numbers of the name
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Your name and theirs
The number of each name, and the number of the bond, which comes from adding them together. A symbolic game: what your two names say together, to be read as a metaphor, not as a verdict on your relationship.