Chadley
An English masculine name possibly derived from Chad and the suffix -ley.
Name Census estimates that about 385 living Americans carry the first name Chadley. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Chadley today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chadley births was 1983 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chadley. 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
385
~ 1 in 890,271 Americans
Peak year
1983
25 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2012 SSA rank
#11,025
Tracked since 1962
Popularity
Chadley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chadley from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 179 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chadley 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 Chadley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chadleys live
Origin
Meaning and history of Chadley
The name Chadley is a relatively modern invention, with no clear roots in any ancient language or culture. It is believed to have originated as a combination of the names Chad and Dudley in the English-speaking world, likely in the late 19th or early 20th century.
The name Chad itself is a shortened form of the name Chadwick, which is derived from the Old English words "cead" meaning "wealth" and "wic" meaning "dwelling." Dudley, on the other hand, is an English surname that originated from the town of Dudley in the West Midlands region of England.
There are no known historical references to the name Chadley in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records. The earliest recorded examples of the name appear to be from the mid-20th century, but it remained relatively uncommon until more recent times.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Chadley was Chadley James, an American singer and songwriter born in 1948. He was active in the country music scene in the 1970s and 1980s, releasing several albums and charting singles.
Another notable bearer of the name is Chadley Foster, an American professional wrestler born in 1967. He wrestled under the ring name Chadley Foster in various independent promotions throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.
In the literary world, Chadley Wilmont is the name of a fictional character in the novel "The Whisper of Stars" by Nick Jones, published in 2012. The character is a young man navigating the challenges of growing up in a small town.
Chadley Benbrook was an American entrepreneur and businessman born in 1952. He founded several successful companies in the technology and software industries, and was known for his innovative approach to business.
Lastly, Chadley Masterson was a British artist and sculptor born in 1928 and died in 2002. He was known for his abstract metal sculptures and installations, which were exhibited in galleries and public spaces throughout the United Kingdom and Europe.
People
Chadley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chadley 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
Chadley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chadley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 385 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chadley 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 890,271 US residents.
Is Chadley a common name?
We classify Chadley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 412 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chadley most popular?
The single biggest year for Chadley was 1983, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chadley is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Chadley a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chadley 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.
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.