Whaley
From an English surname meaning "a whale-hunter or fisherman of whales".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Whaley. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Whaley today is around 85 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Whaley births was 1947 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Whaley. 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
- • The typical person named Whaley is about 85 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Whaleys were born before 1951.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Whaley. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1947
6 babies that year
Average age
85
years old
1947 SSA rank
#3,724
Tracked since 1938
Popularity
Whaley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Whaley from the 1930s through to the 1940s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, 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
Whaley 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 Whaley 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 Whaley
The given name Whaley originates from the Old English word "hwæl," which means "whale." It likely began as a descriptive nickname or surname for someone who had a physical resemblance to a whale or was associated with whaling or the sea. The name's earliest recorded use dates back to the 12th century in England.
In the medieval period, Whaley was primarily used as a surname, but over time, it transitioned into a given name as well. Records show instances of the name being used as a first name in the 16th and 17th centuries. One of the earliest known individuals with the first name Whaley was an English soldier named Whaley Smith, who served in the English Civil War during the 1640s.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the name Whaley gained popularity, particularly in the United States. One notable figure was Whaley Minge, an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in the early 1800s. Another individual was Whaley Puntenny, an American architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in the mid-19th century.
In the 20th century, the name Whaley continued to be used, although it remained relatively uncommon. One prominent individual was Whaley Gray, an American businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Gray Whale Corporation, a successful oil and gas company, in the 1970s. Another was Whaley Booth, an English author and historian who wrote extensively about the history of the British Isles in the early 1900s.
While not as widely known, another individual with the first name Whaley was Whaley Trent, an Australian explorer and naturalist who led several expeditions to document the flora and fauna of the Pacific region in the late 19th century.
Throughout history, the name Whaley has remained relatively rare but has been used across various cultures and regions, particularly in English-speaking countries. Its unique origin and connection to the natural world have made it a distinctive and memorable moniker.
People
Whaley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Whaley as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Whaley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Whaley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Whaley 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Whaley a common name?
We classify Whaley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% 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 Whaley most popular?
The single biggest year for Whaley was 1947, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Whaley is about 85 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 Whaley in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Whaley a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Whaley 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 Whaley still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Whaley 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 Whaley 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 called Whaley?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.