Widley
A feminine name derived from the English word "wide".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Widley. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Widley today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Widley births was 2023 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Widley. 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 Widley. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2023
5 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,115
Tracked since 2023
Popularity
Widley: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Widley 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 Widley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Widley
The name Widley has its origins in the ancient Germanic languages, tracing back to the early medieval period around the 6th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "wid" meaning wide or broad, and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing. The name was likely used to describe someone who lived near a wide meadow or open area.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Widley can be found in the Domesday Book, a monumental survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. It lists several individuals with the name Widley or similar spellings such as Wydley or Widleia, indicating its use among Anglo-Saxon settlements in England during the Norman conquest.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named Widley de Hastings is recorded as a Norman nobleman who accompanied William the Conqueror during the invasion of England in 1066. He was granted lands in Sussex and is believed to have been the progenitor of the Hastings family line.
During the Middle Ages, the name Widley gained prominence in religious circles. In the 13th century, a monk named Widley of Canterbury was a renowned scholar and author of several theological texts. He was known for his contributions to the study of biblical exegesis and his works were widely circulated among monastic communities across Europe.
In the 15th century, a renowned artist and illuminator named Widley de Bruges was active in the Netherlands. His intricate and detailed manuscript illustrations adorned several important religious texts and were highly sought after by nobles and church patrons alike.
Another notable figure was Widley Hawkins, an English explorer and navigator who lived in the late 16th century. He is credited with mapping and charting several previously unexplored regions of the Pacific Ocean during his voyages with the English East India Company.
As the name Widley spread across different regions and cultures, it underwent various spelling variations and adaptations. However, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Germanic languages and its early use in medieval England and Europe.
People
Widley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Widley 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
Widley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Widley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Widley 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Widley a common name?
We classify Widley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Widley most popular?
The single biggest year for Widley was 2023, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Widley is about 3 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 Widley in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Widley a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Widley 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 Widley still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Widley 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 Widley 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 have Widley as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.