Whitley

Whitley - A very unique male name

Whitley appeared on the charts for the first time in 2016 on position #4310. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Whitley and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Whitley? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Whitley. The baby boy name Whitley was given to 51 baby boys in 2025, ranking #1700 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 28,751 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Whitley peaked in popularity 1 years ago in 2025 on position 1700.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Whitley, 1-5?

Whitley is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Whitley is currently topping the baby name charts in Missouri at position #555 - and is the least popular in Texas at position #1,552.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Whitley is where you live.

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Whitley origin and meaning

English — transferred surname

An English place name and surname: 'white clearing or meadow,' from Old English hwit, 'white,' and leah, 'clearing'

Whitley is an old English place name turned surname, long used for American girls and appearing for boys in this data only from 2016, in the surname-transfer wave. Its meaning is a bright clearing in the wood. Boy use reached its highest point in 2025, still at just 51 births.

Attested etymology

Whitley is a 7 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Whitley, pop culture references for the name Whitley and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Whitley

We've found the following names that sound similar to Whitley, sorted by popularity.

Waddell / Woodley /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Whitley

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Whitley a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Whitley?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

WIT-lee · /ˈwɪtli/

Around the world

No traditional forms in other languages — this name was created in America in our own time.

Spellings and nicknames

Nicknames: Whit

Famous bearers

None yet — the name first appears in the data in 2016, and its oldest bearers are still young.

Style

SurnamePlace name

Why parents choose it

Parents choose Whitley for a boy for fresh surname style with a preppy, English feel.

Worth knowing

• In the US Whitley reads mostly feminine because of its longer girl-name history, which boy families should expect.