Hadly
An English surname derived from a location name meaning "heathy clearing".
Name Census estimates that about 29 living Americans carry the first name Hadly. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hadly today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hadly births was 2011 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hadly. 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 Hadly. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
29
~ 1 in 11,819,115 Americans
Peak year
2011
7 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2020 SSA rank
#15,956
Tracked since 2011
Popularity
Hadly: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hadly from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 24 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hadly 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 Hadly during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hadly
The name Hadly is an English given name that has its roots in the Old English language. The name can be traced back to the 8th century and is derived from the Old English words "hæd," meaning "person, individual," and "leah," meaning "woodland clearing." Thus, the name Hadly originally referred to someone who lived in a woodland clearing or a person associated with such a place.
The earliest recorded usage of the name Hadly can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property ownership in England, compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as Hadelie, Hadelie, and Hadleigh, indicating its regional variations.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Hadly was Sir Hadly de Burgh, a prominent English nobleman who lived in the 13th century. He served as the Lord of Connaught in Ireland and was a loyal supporter of King Henry III during the Second Barons' War.
Another significant bearer of the name was Hadly Watkins, an English clergyman who lived in the 16th century. He was a renowned scholar and theologian, serving as the Bishop of Worcester from 1608 until his death in 1618.
In the late 17th century, Hadly Maddox, an English merchant and explorer, gained recognition for his travels to the West Indies and his accounts of the indigenous cultures he encountered. His detailed journals and writings provided valuable insights into the region's history and geography.
During the 18th century, Hadly Wilkinson, an English inventor and engineer, made significant contributions to the field of textile manufacturing. He is credited with developing several innovative machines that revolutionized the production of textiles, particularly in the spinning and weaving processes.
The name Hadly also found its way into literature, with Hadly Granger being a prominent character in the novel "The Vicar of Wakefield" by Oliver Goldsmith, published in 1766. Granger's character played a pivotal role in the story, showcasing the complexity and depth that authors could imbue into characters bearing this name.
While the name Hadly has its origins in Old English, it has maintained a presence throughout various historical periods, with notable individuals bearing this name making significant contributions to various fields. Its rich history and connection to the English language and culture have ensured its enduring legacy.
People
Hadly + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hadly as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hadly: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hadly?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 29 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hadly 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 11,819,115 US residents.
Is Hadly a common name?
We classify Hadly as "Very Rare". It ranks above 46% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 29 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hadly most popular?
The single biggest year for Hadly was 2011, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hadly is about 11 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 Hadly in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hadly a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hadly 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.
Is Hadly still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hadly 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 Hadly 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 share the name Hadly?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.