Unisex name ★ peaked 2017

Finley

Meaning A unisex given name transferred from the surname Gender Unisex · 54% girls Rank 2025 #415 Trend ↓ Falling 41%

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.

Rank 2025
#415
among girls · ↓52 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,770
named Finley · -12% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,134
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2017
3,162 babies
All-time total
42,288
#972 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Finley popularity over time

42,288 babies have been named Finley since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 86 86 9 – –
1890s – 51 51 5 -41% –
1900s – 65 65 7 +27% –
1910s – 327 327 33 +403% –
1920s – 369 369 37 +13% –
1930s – 241 241 24 -35% –
1940s – 255 255 26 +6% –
1950s – 218 218 22 -15% –
1960s – 121 121 12 -44% –
1970s – 85 85 9 -30% –
1980s 5 51 56 6 -34% #13,039
1990s 57 102 159 16 +184% #5,504
2000s 2,194 1,535 3,729 373 +2245% #525
2010s 13,701 8,902 22,603 2,260 +506% #159
2020s (to 2025) 6,951 6,972 13,923 2,321 +3% #201

Where Finley is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 686 0.43 #451
2027 634 0.39 #482
2028 593 0.37 outside top 500
2029 561 0.35 outside top 500
2030 534 0.33 outside top 500

Where Finley is most popular

Girls named Finley per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.679 per 1,000. Strongest in Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Finley born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Montana 71 5.24 +672%
North Dakota 38 2.89 +326%
Wyoming 12 2.81 +315%
Maine 31 2.00 +195%
Idaho 67 2.00 +195%
West Virginia 47 1.79 +164%
Iowa 96 1.64 +142%
Missouri 193 1.60 +136%
Colorado 163 1.46 +115%
Kansas 82 1.42 +109%
Arkansas 75 1.42 +109%
Tennessee 207 1.31 +92%
Oregon 85 1.31 +92%
Mississippi 60 1.28 +89%
Nebraska 46 1.28 +88%
Oklahoma 94 1.28 +88%
Utah 106 1.27 +88%
Wisconsin 127 1.23 +82%
Minnesota 132 1.22 +80%
Louisiana 105 1.20 +77%
Alabama 112 1.19 +76%
Indiana 158 1.13 +66%
Kentucky 92 1.08 +58%
South Dakota 15 1.05 +55%
Rhode Island 13 1.04 +53%
New Hampshire 19 1.03 +52%
Washington 143 0.990 +46%
Georgia 224 0.986 +45%
North Carolina 223 0.979 +44%
South Carolina 88 0.979 +44%
Ohio 230 0.969 +43%
Delaware 10 0.882 +30%
Virginia 149 0.874 +29%
Michigan 157 0.862 +27%
Illinois 193 0.843 +24%
Pennsylvania 183 0.774 +14%
Massachusetts 86 0.711 +5%
Connecticut 40 0.688 ≈ national
Arizona 89 0.634 -7%
Maryland 64 0.604 -11%
Alaska 5 0.581 -14%
Texas 464 0.577 -15%
Florida 246 0.575 -15%
Hawaii 6 0.523 -23%
District of Columbia 5 0.422 -38%
Nevada 19 0.409 -40%
California 321 0.382 -44%
New York 150 0.379 -44%
New Jersey 60 0.332 -51%
New Mexico – – –
Vermont – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Finley

Finley is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #415 in 2025 with 753 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 42,288 American babies have been named Finley, about 54% girls and 46% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2017, when 3,162 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Finley stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Finley?

The median living Finley is about 8 years old; half are between 4 and 11. An estimated 41 thousand people named Finley are alive in the United States today.

median 8 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Finley year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 753 #415 1,017 #333
2024 862 #363 1,156 #290
2023 1,113 #282 1,178 #285
2022 1,367 #218 1,225 #281
2021 1,414 #211 1,307 #265
2020 1,442 #201 1,089 #305
2019 1,575 #188 1,194 #287
2018 1,755 #165 1,290 #275
2017 1,866 #159 1,296 #279
2016 1,727 #191 1,253 #287
2015 1,602 #204 1,060 #326
2014 1,510 #223 834 #376
2013 1,093 #292 571 #483
2012 913 #349 478 #546
2011 880 #364 507 #511
2010 780 #408 419 #596
2009 576 #525 331 #717
2008 463 #663 266 #825
2007 352 #816 272 #794
2006 289 #914 220 #891
2005 248 #986 136 #1,173
2004 168 #1,275 121 #1,248
2003 43 #3,375 74 #1,680
2002 27 #4,540 42 #2,410
2001 11 #8,962 35 #2,706
2000 17 #6,296 38 #2,493
1995 5 #14,166 12 #4,893
1990 – – 6 #7,472
1985 – – – –
1980 – – 8 #4,642
1975 – – 7 #4,483
1970 – – 9 #3,362
1965 – – 13 #2,303
1960 – – 18 #1,929
1955 – – 24 #1,581
1950 – – 26 #1,444
1945 – – 33 #1,147
1940 – – 28 #1,281
1935 – – 20 #1,558
1930 – – 29 #1,349
1925 – – 35 #1,209
1920 – – 42 #1,096
1915 – – 44 #945
1910 – – 14 #837
1905 – – 11 #760
1900 – – 8 #992
1895 – – – –
1890 – – 7 #835
1885 – – 8 #727
1880 – – 11 #583

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Finley, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Finley?

The median living Finley is about 8 years old. Half of all living Finleys are between 4 and 11 years old.

How many people named Finley are alive today?

An estimated 41 thousand people named Finley are alive in the United States, based on 42,288 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Finley mean?

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.

How popular is the name Finley in 2025?

Finley ranked #415 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 753 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Finley?

42,288 babies have been named Finley in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Finley most popular?

Finley peaked in 2017, when 3,162 newborns received the name.

Is Finley a boy or girl name?

Finley is used for both: about 54% of babies named Finley have been girls and 46% boys.

Is the name Finley rising or falling?

Finley is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Finley become more popular?

Finley is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 534 girls named Finley in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Finley

Names that sound and feel close to Finley: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Finley with similar names → More names starting with F →