Hayley
Say it: HAY-lee/ˈheɪli/
GirlMeans hay clearing6 letters2 syllables
#148
in Ireland (2025)
#149 with spellings combined
31
babies in 2025
#48
best rank (1997)
1,681
babies since 1968
Up 48
10-year rank change
Hayley through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 31 | #149 |
| 2024 | 38 | #123 |
| 2023 | 38 | #123 |
| 2022 | 29 | #172 |
| 2021 | 50 | #112 |
| 2020 | 46 | #113 |
| 2019 | 49 | #112 |
| 2018 | 47 | #121 |
| 2017 | 44 | #130 |
| 2016 | 38 | #148 |
| 2015 | 28 | #197 |
| 2014 | 26 | #204 |
| 2013 | 41 | #143 |
| 2012 | 42 | #139 |
| 2011 | 44 | #137 |
| 2010 | 40 | #153 |
| 2009 | 34 | #177 |
| 2008 | 37 | #167 |
| 2007 | 41 | #150 |
| 2006 | 48 | #118 |
| 2005 | 29 | #155 |
| 2004 | 23 | #181 |
| 2003 | 31 | #143 |
| 2002 | 17 | #218 |
| 2001 | 15 | #225 |
| 2000 | 17 | #202 |
| 1999 | 15 | #220 |
| 1998 | 40 | #90 |
| 1997 | 130 | #48 |
| 1996 | 90 | #60 |
| 1995 | 76 | #73 |
| 1994 | 67 | #88 |
| 1993 | 67 | #90 |
| 1992 | 60 | #98 |
| 1991 | 44 | #122 |
| 1990 | 31 | #157 |
| 1989 | 29 | #164 |
| 1988 | 23 | #191 |
| 1987 | 16 | #242 |
| 1986 | 10 | #305 |
| 1985 | 13 | #267 |
| 1984 | 13 | #280 |
| 1983 | 6 | #401 |
| 1982 | 4 | #467 |
| 1981 | 3 | #533 |
| 1980 | 6 | #401 |
| 1979 | 3 | #523 |
| 1978 | 3 | #522 |
| 1977 | 3 | #518 |
| 1972 | 3 | #471 |
| 1968 | 3 | #401 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Hayley mean?
Hay clearing
English, from a surname taken from place names, from Old English hēg (hay) and lēah (clearing).
Say it right
HAYlee
Not:HY-lee
The story of Hayley
Hayley began as an English surname, taken from places in England whose names joined the Old English words hēg (hay) and lēah (a clearing or meadow). So the name amounts to “hay clearing”. Haley is the more usual spelling of the surname.
As a girl’s name it caught on in Britain in the 1970s and 1980s. The actor Hayley Mills is often given the credit. Her middle name came from her mother, the writer Mary Hayley Bell, whose maiden name it was.
In Ireland Hayley first reached the CSO list in 1968 and grew through the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was at its height in the mid-1990s, reaching number 48 in 1997. Its best rank in Northern Ireland came in the same year. It is still a steady choice, and 31 girls were named Hayley in 2025. The CSO counts Hailey and other spellings separately, so each has its own page.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Hayley (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Hayley (given name)
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Hayley | 31 | 1,681 |
In Northern Ireland
#191 in 2025 with 9 babies. Best rank #57 (1997); 291 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.