Findley
From an English surname meaning "fine meadow" or "open landscape".
Name Census estimates that about 453 living Americans carry the first name Findley. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 72.9% of registrations being male. The average person named Findley today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Findley births was 2015 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Findley. 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
453
~ 1 in 756,632 Americans
Peak year
2015
38 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,974
Tracked since 1941
Gender
Gender distribution for Findley
Findley is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 461 total registrations, 336 (72.9%) were male and 125 (27.1%) were female.
Findley as a male name
- Ranked #5,974 in 2024
- 15 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2015 (29 births)
Findley as a female name
- Ranked #13,992 in 2024
- 6 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (11 births)
Popularity
Findley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Findley from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 265 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Findley remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Findley 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 Findley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Findleys live
Origin
Meaning and history of Findley
The name Findley has its roots in the Scottish Gaelic language, originating sometime in the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "fionn" meaning fair or white, and "laidh" meaning warrior or hero. The name likely referred to a fair-haired or blonde warrior or soldier.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 13th century, when a man named Findley MacAlister was mentioned in the Annals of Loch Cé, an Irish chronicle. In the 15th century, a Findley MacNab was noted as a clan chief in the Scottish Highlands.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Findley. In the 17th century, Findley McIntosh was a Scottish soldier who fought in the English Civil War and later emigrated to North America. Findley Clinton, born in 1793, was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.
In the 19th century, Findley Patterson was a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician who played a key role in the development of the city of Hamilton, Ontario. Findley Carter, born in 1865, was a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Savoy Hotel.
More recently, Findley Ralph, born in 1923, was an American artist and sculptor known for his public works of art. He created several large-scale sculptures for cities across the United States.
While the name Findley is not as common today as it once was, it remains a reminder of its rich Scottish heritage and the brave warriors who bore this name throughout history.
People
Findley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Findley as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Findley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Findley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 453 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Findley 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 756,632 US residents.
Is Findley a common name?
We classify Findley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 461 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Findley most popular?
The single biggest year for Findley was 2015, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Findley is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Findley a male name?
Yes, 72.9% of people registered as Findley 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.