Unisex name · Scottish Gaelic
Finley
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: fair warriorFinley is a gender-neutral name that comes from Scottish Gaelic and means "fair warrior". It is used in English and Scottish.
- Meaning
- Fair warrior
- Origin
- Scottish Gaelic
- Gender
- Unisex
- US rank
- #415 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Finley
As a gender-neutral name, Finley comes from Scottish Gaelic and means "fair warrior". It is used in English and Scottish.
Finley is also a surname: the 946th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 36,189 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts Finley on our names that mean warrior list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Finley on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Finley on 1 list.
“Fair warrior; Scottish Gaelic, from Fionnlagh”
From Gender neutral names, unisex names from Irish, Scottish and Welsh
How popular is Finley?
In 2025, 753 girls and 1,017 boys in the US were named Finley.
As a girl’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #415
- 753 babies, 468 per million girls
- Best rank
- #159 in 2017
- 1,866 babies that year
- Babies since 1989
- At least 22,908
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 0 per million |
| 1920s | 0 per million |
| 1930s | 0 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 0 per million |
| 1960s | 0 per million |
| 1970s | 0 per million |
| 1980s | 0 per million |
| 1990s | 3 per million |
| 2000s | 119 per million |
| 2010s | 783 per million |
| 2020s | 714 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #191 | #159 | #165 | #188 | #201 | #211 | #218 | #282 | #363 | #415 |
As a boy’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #333
- 1,017 babies, 595 per million boys
- Best rank
- #265 in 2021
- 1,307 babies that year
- Babies since 1880
- At least 19,380
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 79 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 45 per million |
| 1900s | 48 per million |
| 1910s | 49 per million |
| 1920s | 33 per million |
| 1930s | 23 per million |
| 1940s | 17 per million |
| 1950s | 11 per million |
| 1960s | 6 per million |
| 1970s | 5 per million |
| 1980s | 3 per million |
| 1990s | 5 per million |
| 2000s | 77 per million |
| 2010s | 473 per million |
| 2020s | 673 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #287 | #279 | #275 | #287 | #305 | #265 | #281 | #285 | #290 | #333 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Finley
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- FinlayFair warrior (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- FionnlaghFair warrior (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- LouiseFamous warrior (Germanic, girl)
- FinnFair, white (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- LouisFamous warrior (Germanic, boy)
- LuisaFamous warrior (Germanic, girl)
- AdelJust, fair (Arabic, boy)
- AloysiusFamous warrior (Germanic, boy)
- BarryFair-haired (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- BiancaWhite, fair (Germanic, girl)
- BlancheWhite, fair (Old French, girl)
- DonnchadhBrown warrior (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- DuncanBrown warrior (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- FionaFair, white (Scottish Gaelic, girl)
- FionnFair, white (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- GwenWhite, fair, blessed (Welsh, girl)
- IvorYew warrior (Old Norse, boy)
Middle names for Finley
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More names from Scottish Gaelic
- MurielBright sea (Scottish Gaelic, girl)
- AngusOne strength (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- KennethAnglicized Coinneach, handsome, and Cináed, perhaps born of fire (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- BlairPlain, field (Scottish Gaelic, unisex)
- BowieYellow (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- CameronCrooked nose (Scottish Gaelic, unisex)
- CampbellCrooked mouth (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- ColinWhelp, young dog (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- CraigRock, crag (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- DonaldWorld ruler (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- DouglasDark river (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- DuffDark (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- FearghasMan of vigor (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- FenellaWhite shoulder (Scottish Gaelic, girl)
- GlenValley (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- GlennValley (Scottish Gaelic, unisex)
- KenzieSon of the handsome one (Scottish Gaelic, unisex)
- KyleNarrow strait (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
Finley: common questions
What does the name Finley mean?
Finley comes from Scottish Gaelic and means "fair warrior".
Is Finley a boy or girl name?
Finley is used for both boys and girls. In 2025, 753 girls and 1,017 boys in the US were named Finley, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Finley come from?
Finley comes from Scottish Gaelic and means "fair warrior". Today it is used in English and Scottish.
How popular is the name Finley?
Finley ranked #415 in the US in 2025, with 753 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Finley?
Forms of Finley with the same meaning and origin include Finlay (Scottish) and Fionnlagh (Scottish).
What middle names go with Finley?
Middle names that flow well with Finley include Belle, Eliza, Heath, Joy and Luna. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.