Wesley Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, Boy Names Like Wesley

Wesley Name Origin: English
Pronunciation: wess-lee
See what 32 people think about Wesley

Meaning
Share
Popularity
Alternatives
Lists
Comments

Wesley Name Meaning

The name Wesley is said to mean “west meadow” or “west clearing”. The name is often seen as a symbol of faith and is associated with the values of honesty, integrity and loyalty.

Origins of the Name Wesley

The name Wesley is derived from the English surname “Wesley”, which is a surname of English origin. The name was first used in the 12th century and is derived from the Old English personal name “Wesleah”, which is composed of two elements: “wes” meaning “west” and “leah” meaning “meadow” or “clearing”. The surname was used to describe someone who lived to the west of a settlement, or who lived near a meadow or clearing.

The name Wesley was first used as a given name in England in the 16th century and has since grown in popularity in the United States and Canada. The name is popular among Christian families and is often seen as a tribute to the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, who was born in 1703.

Popularity of the Name Wesley

The name Wesley has been steadily growing in popularity over the past decade and is currently ranked as the 165th most popular name for baby boys in the United States. The name is also popular in Canada, where it is ranked as the 151st most popular name for baby boys.

Final Thoughts on the Name Wesley

The name Wesley is a strong and timeless name with a long and interesting history. Its roots can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon times, and it has since grown in popularity in the United States and Canada. The name is often associated with faith and is said to mean “west meadow” or “west clearing”. It is currently ranked as the 165th most popular name for baby boys in the United States and the 151st most popular name for baby boys in Canada.

Wesley Name Popularity

How popular is the name Wesley? Here’s everything we know.

Year	Rank	# Births	% Births
1910	—	160	0.0454%
1911	—	219	0.0588%
1912	—	453	0.0898%
1913	—	568	0.1002%
1914	—	769	0.1103%
1915	—	972	0.107%
1916	—	1,004	0.1039%
1917	—	1,000	0.1%
1918	—	1,133	0.1056%
1919	—	1,082	0.1033%
1920	—	1,229	0.1105%
1921	—	1,317	0.115%
1922	—	1,270	0.114%
1923	—	1,357	0.1212%
1924	—	1,334	0.1149%
1925	—	1,256	0.1111%
1926	—	1,302	0.1184%
1927	—	1,302	0.1176%
1928	—	1,165	0.1089%
1929	—	1,165	0.1125%
1930	—	1,173	0.1123%
1931	—	1,094	0.1108%
1932	—	1,113	0.1127%
1933	—	1,016	0.1091%
1934	—	1,100	0.1138%
1935	—	1,025	0.1055%
1936	—	1,037	0.1077%
1937	—	1,055	0.1071%
1938	—	1,058	0.1033%
1939	—	1,096	0.1077%
1940	—	1,102	0.1037%
1941	—	1,070	0.0951%
1942	—	1,241	0.0983%
1943	—	1,256	0.0962%
1944	—	1,158	0.0934%
1945	—	1,087	0.0891%
1946	—	1,240	0.084%
1947	—	1,446	0.0866%
1948	—	1,330	0.0833%
1949	—	1,399	0.087%
1950	—	1,514	0.094%
1951	—	1,483	0.0875%
1952	—	1,576	0.0903%
1953	—	1,719	0.0971%
1954	—	1,826	0.0999%
1955	—	1,916	0.1042%
1956	—	1,997	0.1057%
1957	—	1,978	0.1028%
1958	—	1,943	0.1028%
1959	—	1,998	0.1052%
1960	—	2,008	0.106%
1961	—	1,995	0.1057%
1962	—	1,951	0.1063%
1963	—	2,081	0.1159%
1964	—	1,961	0.1114%
1965	—	1,855	0.1134%
1966	—	1,794	0.1149%
1967	—	1,569	0.1034%
1968	—	1,632	0.1087%
1969	—	1,835	0.1191%
1970	—	2,061	0.1295%
1971	—	1,947	0.1296%
1972	—	1,676	0.1231%
1973	—	1,542	0.1189%
1974	—	1,443	0.111%
1975	—	1,519	0.1182%
1976	—	2,142	0.1662%
1977	—	4,302	0.3192%
1978	—	3,304	0.2458%
1979	—	3,227	0.2289%
1980	—	3,159	0.2161%
1981	—	3,040	0.2068%
1982	—	3,029	0.2027%
1983	—	2,782	0.1885%
1984	—	2,790	0.1876%
1985	—	3,043	0.2005%
1986	—	3,029	0.2007%
1987	—	3,238	0.2122%
1988	—	3,472	0.2228%
1989	—	3,449	0.2137%
1990	—	3,307	0.1995%
1991	—	3,257	0.1998%
1992	—	3,233	0.2025%
1993	—	3,162	0.2028%
1994	—	3,021	0.1969%
1995	—	2,790	0.1851%
1996	—	2,596	0.1734%
1997	—	2,349	0.1588%
1998	—	2,221	0.1484%
1999	—	2,188	0.1461%
2000	—	2,202	0.1441%
2001	—	2,014	0.1337%
2002	—	2,038	0.136%
2003	—	2,113	0.1389%
2004	—	2,091	0.1372%
2005	—	2,104	0.1376%
2006	—	2,084	0.1331%
2007	—	2,054	0.1302%
2008	—	2,057	0.1331%
2009	—	2,204	0.1475%
2010	—	2,423	0.1681%
2011	—	2,470	0.1734%
2012	—	2,643	0.1855%
2013	—	2,834	0.1991%
2014	—	3,137	0.2153%
2015	—	3,220	0.2213%
2016	—	3,420	0.2372%
2017	—	3,547	0.2541%
2018	—	3,609	0.2627%
2019	—	3,731	0.2756%
2020	—	3,560	0.2797%
2021	—	4,196	0.3433%
2022	—	4,498	0.341%
2023	—	4,550	0.3516%

Alaska (AK)

Alabama (AL)

Arkansas (AR)

Arizona (AZ)

California (CA)

Colorado (CO)

Connecticut (CT)

District of Columbia (DC)

Delaware (DE)

Florida (FL)

Georgia (GA)

Hawaii (HI)

Iowa (IA)

Idaho (ID)

Illinois (IL)

Indiana (IN)

Kansas (KS)

Kentucky (KY)

Louisiana (LA)

Massachusetts (MA)

Maryland (MD)

Maine (ME)

Michigan (MI)

Minnesota (MN)

Missouri (MO)

Mississippi (MS)

Montana (MT)

North Carolina (NC)

North Dakota (ND)

Nebraska (NE)

New Hampshire (NH)

New Jersey (NJ)

New Mexico (NM)

Nevada (NV)

New York (NY)

Ohio (OH)

Oklahoma (OK)

Oregon (OR)

Pennsylvania (PA)

Rhode Island (RI)

South Carolina (SC)

South Dakota (SD)

Tennessee (TN)

Texas (TX)

Utah (UT)

Virginia (VA)

Vermont (VT)

Washington (WA)

Wisconsin (WI)

West Virginia (WV)

Wyoming (WY)

Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Wesley

If you like Wesley, you’ll love these other names like Wesley.

What names are variants of Wesley?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Wesley.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Wes	Western meadow	English
Wesly	Western meadow	English
Wessley	Western meadow	English
Westleigh	Western meadow	English
Westley	Western meadow	English

What names sound like Wesley?

If you like how Wesley sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Wesley.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Asael	God has created	Hebrew
Asiel	God has created	Hebrew
Vasile	Royal, kingly	Greek
Vasily	Royal, kingly	Greek
Wassily	Royal, kingly	Greek

Lists With Wesley

Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name Wesley.

Siblings of Wesley

Mamas with kids named Wesley also have kids with these names.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Avalyn	Beautiful Bird	English
Nolan	Child of nobility	Irish
Alessandra	Defender of man	Italian
Devin	From dark-haired ones	Irish

John David
Leah	Weary one	Hebrew
Russell	Little red	English
Garrett	Spear rule	English
Solomon	Peace	Hebrew
Avi	Father	Hebrew
Pauleen	Small	Latin
Devon	Deep valley dweller	English
Kendra	Greatest champion	Welsh
Kennett	Fire born; good-looking	Irish

Share Your Thoughts

32 Comments

Emily Jun 10 at 7:34 am

One of the first names my husband and I both liked. It also reminds us of Westley from the Princess Bride, which is one of our favourite movies. We just liked the spelling without the T better. Wesley also means “western meadow” which goes with his last name that means “flowering”

Reply
Wesley Jun 7 at 5:31 am

I am wesley and i m so proud because i inherit from my greatgrandfather

Reply
Chad Jan 19 at 10:46 pm

We named our Son, Wesley, after my grandfather, who passed away when I was 10, in 1982. Wesley was actually Grandpa’s middle name, which he preferred over his given first name is which was Oren. His mother just started calling him Wes when he was young, because people at the time (1919), often mispronounced “Oren”. Not sure how, but that’s what we were told.

My grandfather was my best friend when he died and still think of him daily and we get to say his name every day, too!! My son is proud of his name and it’s meaning to our family.

When he was born (we didn’t want to know our baby’s gender beforehand), the nurse asked if he had a name, and I blurted out Wesley!! My wife smiled and the nurses thought it was funny, because I didn’t wait until she was done asking what his name would be!!

Our son is a gift, because he has a lot traits of my grandfather and my Dad, in fact all three of their baby pictures are eerily very similar. More so between my son and grandfather.

Reply
Anna Oct 17 at 11:30 am

I’ve always loved the name Wesley, and love the nickname Wes. As a teacher, sometimes it’s hard to find names that don’t have a connection to a student. My husband’s name is Bradley, which means “broad meadow.” Wesley means “western meadow.” I like how the full names are similar, but the nicknames (Brad and Wes) are more individual.

Reply
Shaina Oct 12 at 3:46 pm

Can’t really explain it, I just knew it was his name. My husband said it outloud, then I said it outloud and I knew that was what his name was!

Reply
Janet Jul 5 at 12:43 am

I picked Wesley darey

Reply
Jess Jun 21 at 8:00 pm

I love it. I like the sound of it – a simple strong name for a boy or a man!

Reply
Nattalie May 31 at 10:05 am

I have always loved the name and once I saw The Princess Bride I knew id name my son Wesley.

Reply
Yuriy Mar 1 at 1:02 am

My daughter named my grandson Wesley .
We are from Belarus .
My oldest daughter was married to black men.
He’s blood ? from Nigeria and Irish ?
They live in this Country for 105 years.
The roots spreed all of the world…I think it’s so nice to have NAMES like Wes .
I did discover a lot about this name. Sorry for my English. (

Reply
Wesley Jan 2 at 7:53 am

I am called Wesley. I love my name, as it is able to be shortened to Wes, and it is easy to say for other people
Anyone else called Wesley will share my frustration when being called WESTley or Wensleydale cheese. I am good at chess, and there is a grandmaster called Wesley So, which encourages me to get better at chess

Reply
- wes barkley Feb 25 at 1:54 am
  
  Thanks for a good idea about it all let me look what dose Westley mean for onece thank for a nice idea
  
  Reply
- Wesley H May 2 at 2:53 pm
  
  That ‘t’ is relatable. I love my name as well. I didn’t know about the grandmaster, that’s neat.
  
  Reply
Danielle Grela Sep 22 at 2:54 pm

It’s my father in laws name! I also love the nickname Wes

Reply
Adrianna Aug 4 at 5:34 pm

It flows with our last name and there aren’t that many Wesley’s. It’s a cute name too.

Reply
Jamie Jun 15 at 3:22 pm

I just like it alot

Reply
Angelica Mama Apr 27 at 9:05 am

Fathers name

Reply
Lindsay Apr 7 at 8:59 am

I love that it represents something beautiful and earthy – a western meadow. I think it’s a cute name with a handsome nickname – Wes. It’s been in the top 200s for several decades now as well. It’s easy to pronounce 🙂

Reply
Sierra Apr 2 at 7:33 am

Wesley is my husband’s middle name as well as his father’s. We decided we would name our children after our middle names, and since we had a boy it was Wesley!

Reply
Sarah Mar 23 at 12:10 pm

Saw this name in a book I read in high school and loved it! It is also in the Princess Bride and reminds me of a handsome brave boy.

Reply
Kaitlyn Jun 4 at 8:10 am

At the time we thought it was different and unique. Not a lot of people or younger kids had the name.

Reply
Destinee Feb 3 at 11:22 am

Family name

Reply
Felice Nov 24 at 3:58 pm

Love the name Wesley! We chose it because we want the same anointing of John Wesley over our boys life!!!

Reply
Dawn Nov 17 at 3:03 pm

Wesley is my brother’s middle name. I have always loved that name

Reply
Lindsey Apr 27 at 10:07 am

We loved that it was not very common, but also not too crazy or trendy. We also loved that we could shorten it to Wes, which is a nickname that we loved. So many times we liked a name, but didn’t like the nickname so this one was perfect for us!

Reply
Keri\' (kara) Aug 16 at 11:33 am

We named our son wesley after his dad because it’s a strong name with alot of love behind it…

Reply
Mama Jun 12 at 7:11 pm

he’s a jr

Reply
Courtney Jun 8 at 12:48 pm

Wesley is his grandfathers name..

Reply
Carly Jun 7 at 12:55 pm

My partner and I love names that mature appropriately with our son, Wes/Wesley is not only a sweet baby name, but Wes is a great mature mans name, the name will grow with him.
Charles Wesley was his namesake, a personal favorite hymn writer of mine, the name reminds me of my grandparents who sang hymns after dinner, my grandma taught me to play the organ.

Reply
Lindsey Apr 14 at 8:28 pm

I have loved the name Wesley since I was a kid. My boy likes that he can be called Wes or Wesley. We choose the name in part because of Charles and John Wesley who really pioneered a different music style of worship in their day and encouraging a personal relationship with Jesus through prayer. Pretty cool!

Reply
Erinn Apr 13 at 8:46 pm

My husband chose this one- I prefer Weston. Love the nickname Wes tho.

Reply
Brandi Apr 13 at 7:36 pm

I chose to use the name Wesley because it’s my grandfathers middle name.

Reply
Alexis Apr 13 at 2:15 pm

We named Wesley after he was born because we could not decide on a name, so we waited to meet him. The day he was born it was obvious his name should be Wesley because he looks identical to my grandfather who’s name was Wesley.

I like that Wesley is a family name.

Wesley has my grandfather’s personality, as well as his face, so it suits him perfectly.

Reply

Wesley