Wesley
An English place name, “west meadow”; the Methodist founders made it a given name.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Wesley appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in 18 different years between 1977 and 2025. Its biggest year was 2025, when 5,578 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 52 nationally. In 2025 it ranked No. 52 for boys. All told, 250,969 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Weslee (1,516), Wesly (1,439), Weslie (1,023) (total births since 1880)
Explore Wesley interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,186 | No. 101 |
| 1890s | 1,365 | No. 112 |
| 1900s | 1,693 | No. 115 |
| 1910s | 7,603 | No. 131 |
| 1920s | 12,861 | No. 125 |
| 1930s | 10,937 | No. 142 |
| 1940s | 12,465 | No. 152 |
| 1950s | 18,074 | No. 151 |
| 1960s | 18,807 | No. 157 |
| 1970s | 23,252 | No. 66 |
| 1980s | 31,088 | No. 92 |
| 1990s | 28,246 | No. 106 |
| 2000s | 21,084 | No. 171 |
| 2010s | 31,167 | No. 99 |
| 2020s | 27,885 | No. 52 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.