Arkley
A masculine name of Old English origin likely meaning "meadow of the ark".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Arkley. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Arkley today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Arkley births was 1924 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Arkley. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Arkley. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1924
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1924 SSA rank
#4,380
Tracked since 1924
Popularity
Arkley: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Arkley by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Arkley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Arkley
The given name Arkley has its linguistic origins in Old English, with roots dating back to the Anglo-Saxon era. It is believed to have derived from the combination of two Old English words: "earc," meaning "ark" or "chest," and "leah," referring to a meadow or clearing. Together, these components suggest a meaning akin to "one who dwells in the meadow near the ark or chest."
In the early medieval period, the name Arkley was primarily found in regions of present-day England, particularly in the counties of Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Its earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where variations such as "Erchenlai" and "Erchedeleye" were documented as place names.
While no direct references to the name Arkley have been found in ancient texts or religious scriptures, some scholars have drawn parallels between its "ark" component and the biblical story of Noah's Ark. However, this connection remains speculative and has not been definitively established.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Arkley. One of the earliest recorded examples is Sir John Arkley (c. 1340 – 1412), an English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was granted lands in Hertfordshire for his service.
Another prominent figure was William Arkley (1570 – 1642), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Rector of Houghton in Huntingdonshire. He was renowned for his extensive writings on theology and philosophy.
In the 19th century, Thomas Arkley (1817 – 1897) gained recognition as a successful industrialist and entrepreneur in the textile industry, establishing several mills in Yorkshire.
Moving into the 20th century, Reginald Arkley (1920 – 1999) was an Australian painter and printmaker, known for his distinctive style that blended elements of surrealism and pop art.
Lastly, one cannot overlook the contributions of Sir David Arkley (1934 – 2022), a British chemist and academic who made significant advancements in the field of organic synthesis and was awarded the prestigious Wolfson Research Merit Award in 1996.
People
Arkley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Arkley as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Arkley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Arkley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Arkley going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Arkley a common name?
We classify Arkley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Arkley most popular?
The single biggest year for Arkley was 1924, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Arkley is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Arkley in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Arkley a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Arkley in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Arkley still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Arkley in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Arkley can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Arkley?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.