boys' name ★ peaked 2025

Wesley

Meaning west Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #52 Trend ↑ Rising 43%

Several places in England, from Old English west (“west”) + lēah (“wood, clearing”).

Rank 2025
#52
among boys · ↑6 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
5,679
named Wesley · +8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 306
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
5,679 babies
All-time total
250,969
#155 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Wesley popularity over time

250,969 babies have been named Wesley 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
123418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 – 1,186 1,186 119 – #102
1890s 5 1,365 1,370 137 +16% #112
1900s – 1,693 1,693 169 +24% #116
1910s 84 7,603 7,687 769 +354% #131
1920s 109 12,861 12,970 1,297 +69% #125
1930s 118 10,937 11,055 1,106 -15% #142
1940s 149 12,465 12,614 1,261 +14% #152
1950s 133 18,074 18,207 1,821 +44% #151
1960s 150 18,807 18,957 1,896 +4% #157
1970s 254 23,252 23,506 2,351 +24% #66
1980s 482 31,088 31,570 3,157 +34% #92
1990s 399 28,246 28,645 2,865 -9% #106
2000s 241 21,084 21,325 2,133 -26% #171
2010s 472 31,167 31,639 3,164 +48% #99
2020s (to 2025) 660 27,885 28,545 4,758 +50% #52

Where Wesley is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 5,925 3.47 #48
2027 6,238 3.65 #41
2028 6,516 3.81 #38
2029 6,763 3.96 #36
2030 6,979 4.09 #33

Where Wesley is most popular

Boys named Wesley per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 2.80 per 1,000. Strongest in Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Wesley 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Vermont 80 12.7 +355%
Maine 184 9.48 +239%
New Hampshire 208 9.37 +235%
Wyoming 49 8.47 +203%
Rhode Island 111 6.81 +143%
Montana 117 6.63 +137%
South Dakota 117 6.29 +125%
Wisconsin 738 6.23 +123%
Utah 589 6.17 +120%
North Dakota 103 6.03 +116%
Minnesota 730 5.95 +113%
Nebraska 254 5.84 +109%
Delaware 86 5.67 +103%
Oregon 430 5.67 +102%
Idaho 227 5.55 +98%
Massachusetts 751 5.46 +95%
Alaska 61 5.12 +83%
District of Columbia 73 4.95 +77%
Iowa 336 4.87 +74%
Colorado 593 4.59 +64%
Kansas 297 4.33 +55%
Michigan 885 4.32 +54%
West Virginia 140 4.29 +53%
Washington 700 4.28 +53%
Pennsylvania 1,117 4.21 +50%
Ohio 1,114 4.20 +50%
Missouri 581 4.19 +50%
Hawaii 65 4.19 +50%
Connecticut 273 4.03 +44%
Maryland 440 3.69 +32%
Indiana 576 3.59 +28%
Virginia 678 3.57 +28%
South Carolina 330 3.19 +14%
Louisiana 325 3.18 +13%
North Carolina 773 3.03 +8%
Illinois 771 3.02 +8%
Tennessee 525 2.91 ≈ national
Arkansas 181 2.86 ≈ national
Mississippi 159 2.80 ≈ national
Kentucky 277 2.76 ≈ national
Oklahoma 240 2.71 ≈ national
New York 1,159 2.68 ≈ national
Arizona 436 2.66 -5%
Georgia 648 2.56 -9%
Alabama 276 2.52 -10%
Nevada 142 2.49 -11%
New Jersey 496 2.46 -12%
New Mexico 81 2.46 -12%
California 2,013 2.20 -21%
Florida 1,016 2.15 -23%
Texas 1,628 1.85 -34%

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 Wesley

Wesley is a top-100 name for boys in the United States, ranked #52 in 2025 with 5,578 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 250,969 American babies have been named Wesley. Its peak came in 2025, when 5,679 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Wesley stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Wesley?

The median living Wesley is about 33 years old; half are between 12 and 48. An estimated 198 thousand people named Wesley are alive in the United States today.

median 33 020406080100

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

Wesley 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 101 #1,926 5,578 #52
2024 87 #2,201 5,162 #58
2023 114 #1,791 4,555 #70
2022 129 #1,647 4,668 #70
2021 133 #1,583 4,216 #85
2020 96 #1,976 3,706 #98
2019 65 #2,679 3,764 #99
2018 83 #2,236 3,628 #105
2017 61 #2,813 3,577 #111
2016 64 #2,736 3,429 #117
2015 44 #3,591 3,233 #126
2014 45 #3,544 3,143 #130
2013 27 #5,139 2,837 #139
2012 28 #5,107 2,649 #155
2011 33 #4,460 2,476 #156
2010 22 #6,171 2,431 #159
2009 28 #5,219 2,211 #176
2008 17 #7,731 2,067 #194
2007 34 #4,472 2,064 #195
2006 26 #5,372 2,103 #190
2005 16 #7,480 2,113 #189
2004 36 #3,986 2,108 #184
2003 30 #4,415 2,123 #184
2002 18 #6,383 2,051 #183
2001 19 #6,060 2,028 #184
2000 17 #6,473 2,216 #171
1995 43 #2,843 2,798 #129
1990 46 #2,599 3,316 #107
1985 48 #2,202 3,043 #94
1980 43 #2,305 3,165 #95
1975 22 #3,256 1,531 #158
1970 21 #3,204 2,059 #152
1965 10 #4,487 1,860 #160
1960 10 #4,434 2,020 #164
1955 10 #4,062 1,925 #151
1950 7 #4,729 1,527 #165
1945 12 #2,740 1,107 #163
1940 16 #2,105 1,129 #152
1935 13 #2,435 1,040 #148
1930 15 #2,301 1,186 #142
1925 12 #2,933 1,265 #135
1920 12 #2,892 1,244 #129
1915 8 #3,423 990 #133
1910 7 #2,132 209 #152
1905 – – 174 #123
1900 – – 181 #128
1895 – – 156 #112
1890 5 #1,529 131 #117
1885 – – 108 #128
1880 – – 123 #109

Famous people named Wesley

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Wesley Snipes Wesley Snipes American actor (born 1962) Contemporary
  2. 2 Wesley Sneijder Wesley Sneijder Dutch footballer (born 1984) Contemporary
  3. 3 Wesley Clark Wesley Clark United States Army general (born 1944) Contemporary
  4. 4 Wesley So Wesley So Filipino-American chess grandmaster (born 1993) Contemporary
  5. 5 Wesley Matthews Wesley Matthews American basketball player (born 1986) Contemporary
  6. 6 Wesley Johnson Wesley Johnson American basketball player (born 1987) Contemporary
  7. 7 Wesley Sonck Wesley Sonck Belgian footballer b. 1978 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Wesley Moodie Wesley Moodie South African tennis player b. 1979 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Wesley Ruggles Wesley Ruggles American film director (1889–1972) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Wesley?

The median living Wesley is about 33 years old. Half of all living Wesleys are between 12 and 48 years old.

How many people named Wesley are alive today?

An estimated 198 thousand people named Wesley are alive in the United States, based on 250,969 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Wesley mean?

Several places in England, from Old English west (“west”) + lēah (“wood, clearing”).

How popular is the name Wesley in 2025?

Wesley ranked #52 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 5,578 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Wesley?

250,969 babies have been named Wesley in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Wesley most popular?

Wesley peaked in 2025, when 5,679 newborns received the name.

Is Wesley a boy or girl name?

Wesley is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Wesley rising or falling?

Wesley is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Wesley become more popular?

Wesley is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 6,979 boys named Wesley in 2030, which would rank around #33. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Wesley?

Well-known people named Wesley include Wesley Snipes (actor), Wesley Sneijder (soccer player), Wesley Clark (military personnel).

Names like Wesley

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

Compare Wesley with similar names → More names starting with W →