Boy name · Old English
Wesley
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: west meadowWesley is a boy's name that comes from Old English and means "west meadow". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- West meadow
- Origin
- Old English
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #52 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Wesley
As a boy's name, Wesley comes from Old English and means "west meadow". It is used in English.
Wesley is also a surname: the 1,592nd most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 21,988 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts Wesley on our nature names list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Wesley on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Wesley on 5 lists.
“Old English for western meadow”
From Redneck names for boys, classic country boy names
“West meadow; Old English. Gentle place name”
From Boy middle names, surname middle names for boys
“Old English for west meadow; open-range easy”
From Cowboy names, western boy names
“West meadow; Old English, from a place name; at its highest US rank ever in 2025”
From Cute boy names, sweet vintage boy names
“Kind, calm and quietly brave”
From Funny names for turkeys, boy turkey names (for toms)
How popular is Wesley?
- US rank in 2025
- #52
- 5,578 babies, 3,266 per million boys
- Best rank
- #52 in 2025
- 5,578 babies that year
- Babies since 1880
- At least 247,713
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 1,083 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 1,196 per million |
| 1900s | 1,247 per million |
| 1910s | 1,139 per million |
| 1920s | 1,167 per million |
| 1930s | 1,035 per million |
| 1940s | 837 per million |
| 1950s | 894 per million |
| 1960s | 976 per million |
| 1970s | 1,408 per million |
| 1980s | 1,684 per million |
| 1990s | 1,450 per million |
| 2000s | 1,056 per million |
| 2010s | 1,658 per million |
| 2020s | 2,691 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #117 | #111 | #105 | #99 | #98 | #85 | #70 | #70 | #58 | #52 |
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 with a similar meaning
- VegaMeadow in Spanish; in English, the bright star (Spanish and Arabic, girl)
- CeferinoWest wind (Greek, boy)
- DallasFrom a surname meaning valley house or meadow dwelling (Old English, unisex)
- LeeClearing, meadow (Old English, unisex)
- LeighMeadow, clearing (Old English, girl)
- RawdaMeadow, garden (Arabic, girl)
- WestonWest town (Old English, boy)
Middle names for Wesley
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Old English
- EdgarWealthy spear (Old English, boy)
- AlfredElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- StormTempest (Old English, unisex)
- AlfredoElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- 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)
Wesley: common questions
What does the name Wesley mean?
Wesley comes from Old English and means "west meadow".
Is Wesley a boy or girl name?
Wesley is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 101 girls and 5,578 boys in the US were named Wesley, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Wesley come from?
Wesley comes from Old English and means "west meadow". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Wesley?
Wesley ranked #52 in the US in 2025, with 5,578 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What middle names go with Wesley?
Middle names that flow well with Wesley include Finn, Hugh, Jack, John and Lane. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.