Hurley
Derived from the Old English word "hyrr" meaning a herdsman or protector.
Name Census estimates that about 1,200 living Americans carry the first name Hurley. It is a predominantly male name (97.1% of registrations). The average person named Hurley today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hurley births was 1919 (54 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hurley. 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
- • Although Hurley is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 78 girls registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 285,629 Americans
Peak year
1919
54 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,553
Tracked since 1881
Gender
Gender distribution for Hurley
Hurley leans heavily male at 97.1% of total registrations, but 78 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Hurley as a male name
- Ranked #8,553 in 2024
- 9 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1919 (54 births)
Hurley as a female name
- Ranked #16,587 in 2018
- 5 female births in 2018
- Peak: 2009 (10 births)
Popularity
Hurley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hurley from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 407 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hurley 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 Hurley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hurleys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Hurley, while Missouri, Alabama, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 53 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hurley
The name Hurley is an English given name that originated from the Old English words "hyr" meaning "meadow" and "leah" meaning "wood". It was initially a surname referring to someone who lived near a meadow or woodland area. The name can be traced back to the 11th century, with early recorded spellings including Hurleye and Hurle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hurley appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of England and Wales commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book listed several individuals with the surname Hurley, indicating that the name was already in use during the Norman period.
In terms of historical references, the name Hurley is not prominently featured in ancient texts or religious scriptures. However, it is worth noting that during the Middle Ages, the name was commonly associated with landowners and individuals of some social standing.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Hurley was Sir John Hurley, an English courtier and landowner who lived during the 15th century. He served as a member of the Privy Council under King Henry VII and played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses.
Another individual of historical importance was Thomas Hurley, an English Protestant martyr who was executed during the reign of Queen Mary I in 1556 for his religious beliefs. His death is recorded in John Foxe's Book of Martyrs, a famous work that documented the persecution of Protestants in England.
In the 17th century, Edward Hurley was a prominent English artist known for his landscape paintings and etchings. He was a member of the Incorporated Society of Artists and exhibited his works at the Royal Academy.
Moving forward to the 19th century, John Hurley was an Irish-born businessman and philanthropist. He made his fortune in the textile industry and donated a significant portion of his wealth to establish educational institutions and support charitable causes in Ireland.
Another notable figure was Patrick Hurley, an American soldier and diplomat who served as the United States Secretary of War under President Herbert Hoover from 1929 to 1933. He was also involved in peace negotiations during World War II.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the given name Hurley. While not an exhaustive list, it highlights the name's presence across various periods and contexts.
People
Hurley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hurley 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
Hurley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hurley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,200 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hurley 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 285,629 US residents.
Is Hurley a common name?
We classify Hurley as "Rare". It ranks above 91.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,659 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hurley most popular?
The single biggest year for Hurley was 1919, when 54 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hurley is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hurley a male name?
Yes, 97.1% of people registered as Hurley 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.