Wyley
A masculine name possibly derived from the Old English surname Wiley meaning "wily" or "cunning".
Name Census estimates that about 97 living Americans carry the first name Wyley. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wyley today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wyley births was 2010 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wyley. 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 Wyley. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
97
~ 1 in 3,533,550 Americans
Peak year
2010
9 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2022 SSA rank
#9,777
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Wyley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wyley from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 33 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Wyley remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wyley 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 Wyley 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 Wyley
The name Wyley is an English variant of the name Willey, which is derived from the Old English name Willa. The name Willa can be traced back to the Germanic root "wil," meaning "will" or "desire." This root is also found in other names such as William and Wilfred.
The earliest recorded use of the name Wyley dates back to the 16th century in England. It was primarily used as a surname, but over time, it also became a first name. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wyley as a first name is found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Holbeach, Lincolnshire, England, where a Wyley Willson was baptized in 1589.
In the 17th century, the name Wyley gained some prominence in the American colonies. One notable bearer of the name was Wyley Jones (1619-1677), an early settler in Virginia and a member of the House of Burgesses. Another Wyley of note was Wyley Browne (1653-1718), a merchant and landowner in Massachusetts.
The name Wyley remained relatively uncommon throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, but there were a few notable individuals who bore the name. Wyley Martin (1786-1859) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia. Wyley Jones (1824-1899) was a Confederate officer during the American Civil War and later served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates.
In the 20th century, the name Wyley saw a slight resurgence in popularity. Wyley W. Mills (1896-1976) was an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Mills Corporation, a successful real estate development firm. Wyley Gates (1901-1982) was an American actor who appeared in numerous Western films and television shows during the 1940s and 1950s.
Another noteworthy bearer of the name Wyley was Wyley W. Huddleston (1919-2003), an American judge who served on the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. He was known for his involvement in several high-profile cases, including the desegregation of public schools in Memphis.
While the name Wyley has never been among the most popular names, it has a rich history and has been borne by several individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields throughout the centuries.
People
Wyley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wyley 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
Wyley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wyley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 97 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wyley 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 3,533,550 US residents.
Is Wyley a common name?
We classify Wyley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 152 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wyley most popular?
The single biggest year for Wyley was 2010, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wyley is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Wyley a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wyley 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.