Unisex name · Old English
Hadley
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: heather fieldHadley is a gender-neutral name that comes from Old English and means "heather field". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Heather field
- Origin
- Old English
- Gender
- Unisex
- US rank
- #121 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Hadley
As a gender-neutral name, Hadley comes from Old English and means "heather field". It is used in English.
Hadley is also a surname: the 1,640th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 21,312 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts Hadley on our nature names list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Hadley on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Hadley on 2 lists.
“Heather field; Old English, from a place name”
From Gender neutral names, gender-neutral surname names
“A clearing where heather grew”
From Pretty last names, pretty last names
How popular is Hadley?
In 2025, 2,254 girls and 12 boys in the US were named Hadley.
As a girl’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #121
- 2,254 babies, 1,402 per million girls
- Best rank
- #100 in 2014
- 3,015 babies that year
- Babies since 1964
- At least 46,595
- 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 | 2 per million |
| 1970s | 12 per million |
| 1980s | 20 per million |
| 1990s | 67 per million |
| 2000s | 267 per million |
| 2010s | 1,456 per million |
| 2020s | 1,480 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #108 | #112 | #104 | #112 | #111 | #112 | #112 | #119 | #115 | #121 |
As a boy’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #6,938
- 12 babies, 7 per million boys
- Best rank
- #668 in 1908
- Most babies: 52 in 2004
- Babies since 1906
- At least 2,096
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 27 per million |
| 1910s | 19 per million |
| 1920s | 16 per million |
| 1930s | 13 per million |
| 1940s | 8 per million |
| 1950s | 5 per million |
| 1960s | 5 per million |
| 1970s | 4 per million |
| 1980s | 7 per million |
| 1990s | 10 per million |
| 2000s | 19 per million |
| 2010s | 21 per million |
| 2020s | 14 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,385 | #3,266 | #3,126 | #3,518 | #3,520 | #4,151 | #4,346 | #3,655 | #4,759 | #6,938 |
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.
Names spelled like Hadley
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
Names with a similar meaning
Middle names for Hadley
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More names from Old English
- EdgarWealthy spear (Old English, boy)
- EdithRich in war (Old English, girl)
- AlfredElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- StormTempest (Old English, unisex)
- AlfredoElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- AudreyNoble strength (Old English, girl)
- EduardoRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- GrahamFrom a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead (Old English, boy)
- HarperHarp player (Old English, unisex)
- KnoxRound hill (Old English, boy)
- LindenLime tree (Old English, unisex)
- LindsayLincoln island (Old English, unisex)
- OsmundGod protector (Old English, boy)
- OswaldPower of a god (Old English, boy)
- RutherfordCattle ford (Old English, boy)
- StewartSteward (Old English, boy)
- SundayDay of the sun (Old English, unisex)
Hadley: common questions
What does the name Hadley mean?
Hadley comes from Old English and means "heather field".
Is Hadley a boy or girl name?
Hadley is used for both boys and girls. In 2025, 2,254 girls and 12 boys in the US were named Hadley, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Hadley come from?
Hadley comes from Old English and means "heather field". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Hadley?
Hadley ranked #121 in the US in 2025, with 2,254 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Hadley?
Names spelled like Hadley include Hailey, Hadeel, Haile, Hallel and Harvey.
What middle names go with Hadley?
Middle names that flow well with Hadley include Daisy, Drake, Eve, John and Lamar. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.