Harley

Did you know?

A few things about Harley you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Harley

Harley Jane Kozak

American actress and writer

Choose Harley and your child shares a first name with Harley Jane Kozak, an American actress and writer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Harley, like who?” Harley Jane Kozak's Wikipedia article is available in 24 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Harley Jane Kozak on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Annie_C_2, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 2,149 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Harley, 748 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Harley would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryHarley has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Harleys, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 2017, when it reached #202.
• 🍂TrendHarley has slipped 132 places over the last five years and now sits at #418. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedHarley is most popular in Montana, where it ranks #122, followed by West Virginia (#181) and South Dakota (#188). It's in the top 1,000 in 38 states.
• ⚖️Boy or girlHarley is given to both boys and girls: 79% of the 947 babies named Harley in 2025 were girls. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningIn Old English, Harley means “hare meadow”.

About the name Harley

Harley is a gender-neutral name of English origin meaning “hare meadow”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with H and ending in “-ley”. US birth records list Harley for girls from 1916 to 2025, in 66 of those 110 years. Its best year was 2017, when it ranked #202 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #418, with 748 babies. Of the 947 US babies named Harley in 2025, 79% were girls and 21% were boys.

Origin:English names