Hansley
Of English origin, meaning "high clearing" or "high meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Hansley. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hansley today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hansley births was 2016 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hansley. 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 Hansley. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2016
6 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2016 SSA rank
#11,208
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Hansley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hansley from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hansley 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 Hansley 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 Hansley
The name Hansley is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "han" meaning "rooster" and "ley" meaning "meadow" or "clearing." It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.
In its earliest known usage, Hansley was a surname referring to someone who lived near a meadow or clearing where roosters were kept. Over time, it transitioned to become a given name, particularly in rural areas of England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hansley is found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Hansley in the county of Lincolnshire.
During the Renaissance period, the name gained some popularity among the gentry and aristocratic classes in England. One notable bearer of the name was Sir Hansley Cromwell (1525-1592), a distant relative of Oliver Cromwell and a member of the Privy Council under Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, Hansley Whitefield (1612-1675) was a prominent English merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of several churches and schools in London.
Another historical figure with the name was Hansley Woodhouse (1771-1845), a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies and was a vocal advocate for parliamentary reform.
In the 19th century, Hansley Paget (1821-1899) was a renowned British sculptor known for his neoclassical works, including the iconic statue of Lord Byron in Hyde Park, London.
Hansley Johnstone (1889-1963) was a British writer and journalist who gained fame for his travel memoirs and novels set in exotic locations around the world.
While the name Hansley has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has persisted as a unique and distinctive name with its roots in the English countryside and its association with notable figures across various fields.
People
Hansley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hansley 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
Hansley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hansley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hansley 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Hansley a common name?
We classify Hansley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hansley most popular?
The single biggest year for Hansley was 2016, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hansley is about 18 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 Hansley in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hansley a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hansley 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.
Is Hansley still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hansley 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 Hansley 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 are named Hansley?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.