Find out how popular the first name Halley has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Halley by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Halley is more commonly used as a female name, with approximately 99% of people named Halley being female.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 49 female babies and 0 male babies born with the name Halley.

The history of the first name Halley

The name Halley has its origins in the Old English language, derived from the word "hæleþ," which means "hero" or "warrior." This name was commonly used in Anglo-Saxon England during the early medieval period, around the 5th to 11th centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Halley can be found in the Domesday Book, a historical record commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Hallei," referring to a landowner in the county of Norfolk, England.

In the 12th century, the name Halley gained prominence with the birth of Halley of Brittany (c. 1109 – c. 1165), a Breton cleric and historian who wrote the "Chronicon Britannicum," a chronicle of British history.

During the Renaissance period, the name Halley was associated with the renowned English astronomer Edmond Halley (1656 – 1742). He is best known for calculating the orbit of the comet that now bears his name, Halley's Comet, which is visible from Earth every 75-76 years.

Another notable individual with the name Halley was Sir Henry Halley (1828 – 1904), a British civil servant who served as the Chief Clerk of the Admiralty and was knighted for his services to the British government.

In the 20th century, Halley Foulkes (1898 – 1981) was a Welsh author and poet who published several collections of poetry and prose, including "The Greenfields" and "The Dower House."

It is worth mentioning that while the name Halley has its origins in Old English, it has also been adopted and used in various other cultures and languages, with slight variations in spelling and pronunciation.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Halley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Halley, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!