Calley
A feminine diminutive form of the name Calista, meaning "most beautiful" from Greek origins.
Name Census estimates that about 911 living Americans carry the first name Calley. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Calley today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Calley births was 1990 (41 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Calley. 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.
People living today
911
~ 1 in 376,240 Americans
Peak year
1990
41 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,369
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Calley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Calley from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 312 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Calley 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 Calley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Calleys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, California, Oklahoma recorded the most babies named Calley, while Oklahoma, California, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 14 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Calley
The name Calley is believed to have originated from the Old English word "calu," which means "bald" or "bare." It was likely a nickname given to someone who had little or no hair. The name can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon period in England, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Calley can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Calli," which was likely a variant spelling of Calley at the time.
In the 12th century, the name Calley was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls, which were records of financial transactions maintained by the English Exchequer. This suggests that the name was in use among the general population during the Middle Ages.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Calley. One of the earliest was Calley of Wainfleet, an English Benedictine monk who lived in the 13th century and served as the Abbot of Bardney Abbey in Lincolnshire.
In the 16th century, Calley Jerman was a renowned English composer and musician who worked for the court of Henry VIII. His compositions were highly regarded during the Renaissance period.
During the American Revolutionary War, Calley Ewell was a patriot and soldier who fought in the Continental Army. He was born in Virginia in 1748 and participated in several major battles, including the Siege of Yorktown.
In the 19th century, Calley Jackson was an American writer and poet from Louisiana. She was born in 1829 and is best known for her collection of poems titled "Shadows on the Hearth," published in 1855.
Another notable figure with the name Calley was Calley Pruett, an American baseball player who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the early 20th century. He was born in 1892 and played as an outfielder for several seasons in the Major Leagues.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Calley, showcasing its enduring presence across various cultures and time periods.
People
Calley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Calley as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Calley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Calley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 911 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Calley 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 1 in 376,240 US residents.
Is Calley a common name?
We classify Calley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 948 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Calley most popular?
The single biggest year for Calley was 1990, when 41 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Calley is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Calley a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Calley in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.