Wesley Name Meaning

The name Wesley is said to mean “west meadow” or “west clearing”. The name is often seen as a symbol of faith and is associated with the values of honesty, integrity and loyalty.

Origins of the Name Wesley

The name Wesley is derived from the English surname “Wesley”, which is a surname of English origin. The name was first used in the 12th century and is derived from the Old English personal name “Wesleah”, which is composed of two elements: “wes” meaning “west” and “leah” meaning “meadow” or “clearing”. The surname was used to describe someone who lived to the west of a settlement, or who lived near a meadow or clearing.

The name Wesley was first used as a given name in England in the 16th century and has since grown in popularity in the United States and Canada. The name is popular among Christian families and is often seen as a tribute to the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, who was born in 1703.

Popularity of the Name Wesley

The name Wesley has been steadily growing in popularity over the past decade and is currently ranked as the 165th most popular name for baby boys in the United States. The name is also popular in Canada, where it is ranked as the 151st most popular name for baby boys.

Final Thoughts on the Name Wesley

The name Wesley is a strong and timeless name with a long and interesting history. Its roots can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon times, and it has since grown in popularity in the United States and Canada. The name is often associated with faith and is said to mean “west meadow” or “west clearing”. It is currently ranked as the 165th most popular name for baby boys in the United States and the 151st most popular name for baby boys in Canada.

Infographic of Wesley name meaning, which is Wesley is an English name meaning western meadow.
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Wesley Name Popularity

How popular is the name Wesley? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 157 160 0.0454%
1911 131 219 0.0588%
1912 133 453 0.0898%
1913 131 568 0.1002%
1914 128 769 0.1103%
1915 132 972 0.107%
1916 134 1,004 0.1039%
1917 136 1,000 0.1%
1918 136 1,133 0.1056%
1919 134 1,082 0.1033%
1920 129 1,229 0.1105%
1921 127 1,317 0.115%
1922 127 1,270 0.114%
1923 124 1,357 0.1212%
1924 131 1,334 0.1149%
1925 135 1,256 0.1111%
1926 131 1,302 0.1184%
1927 134 1,302 0.1176%
1928 143 1,165 0.1089%
1929 142 1,165 0.1125%
1930 142 1,173 0.1123%
1931 143 1,094 0.1108%
1932 144 1,113 0.1127%
1933 147 1,016 0.1091%
1934 141 1,100 0.1138%
1935 148 1,025 0.1055%
1936 146 1,037 0.1077%
1937 143 1,055 0.1071%
1938 150 1,058 0.1033%
1939 145 1,096 0.1077%
1940 152 1,102 0.1037%
1941 158 1,070 0.0951%
1942 153 1,241 0.0983%
1943 155 1,256 0.0962%
1944 159 1,158 0.0934%
1945 162 1,087 0.0891%
1946 167 1,240 0.084%
1947 162 1,446 0.0866%
1948 168 1,330 0.0833%
1949 166 1,399 0.087%
1950 164 1,514 0.094%
1951 170 1,483 0.0875%
1952 166 1,576 0.0903%
1953 160 1,719 0.0971%
1954 154 1,826 0.0999%
1955 150 1,916 0.1042%
1956 155 1,997 0.1057%
1957 160 1,978 0.1028%
1958 160 1,943 0.1028%
1959 159 1,998 0.1052%
1960 164 2,008 0.106%
1961 163 1,995 0.1057%
1962 161 1,951 0.1063%
1963 156 2,081 0.1159%
1964 162 1,961 0.1114%
1965 160 1,855 0.1134%
1966 157 1,794 0.1149%
1967 167 1,569 0.1034%
1968 165 1,632 0.1087%
1969 157 1,835 0.1191%
1970 152 2,061 0.1295%
1971 151 1,947 0.1296%
1972 152 1,676 0.1231%
1973 158 1,542 0.1189%
1974 164 1,443 0.111%
1975 156 1,519 0.1182%
1976 119 2,142 0.1662%
1977 66 4,302 0.3192%
1978 83 3,304 0.2458%
1979 90 3,227 0.2289%
1980 95 3,159 0.2161%
1981 99 3,040 0.2068%
1982 98 3,029 0.2027%
1983 101 2,782 0.1885%
1984 101 2,790 0.1876%
1985 94 3,043 0.2005%
1986 96 3,029 0.2007%
1987 92 3,238 0.2122%
1988 92 3,472 0.2228%
1989 98 3,449 0.2137%
1990 107 3,307 0.1995%
1991 106 3,257 0.1998%
1992 111 3,233 0.2025%
1993 113 3,162 0.2028%
1994 118 3,021 0.1969%
1995 129 2,790 0.1851%
1996 137 2,596 0.1734%
1997 144 2,349 0.1588%
1998 154 2,221 0.1484%
1999 168 2,188 0.1461%
2000 171 2,202 0.1441%
2001 184 2,014 0.1337%
2002 182 2,038 0.136%
2003 183 2,113 0.1389%
2004 184 2,091 0.1372%
2005 187 2,104 0.1376%
2006 190 2,084 0.1331%
2007 195 2,054 0.1302%
2008 193 2,057 0.1331%
2009 176 2,204 0.1475%
2010 159 2,423 0.1681%
2011 155 2,470 0.1734%
2012 155 2,643 0.1855%
2013 139 2,834 0.1991%
2014 130 3,137 0.2153%
2015 125 3,220 0.2213%
2016 117 3,420 0.2372%
2017 111 3,547 0.2541%
2018 105 3,609 0.2627%
2019 99 3,731 0.2756%
2020 99 3,560 0.2797%
2021 83 4,196 0.3433%
2022 70 4,498 0.341%

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Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Wesley

If you like Wesley, you’ll love these other names like Wesley.

What names are variants of Wesley?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Wesley.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Wes

Western meadow

English

Wesly

Western meadow

English

Wessley

Western meadow

English

Westleigh

Western meadow

English

Westley

Western meadow

English

What names sound like Wesley?

If you like how Wesley sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Wesley.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Asael

God has created

Hebrew

Asiel

God has created

Hebrew

Vasile

Royal, kingly

Greek

Vasily

Royal, kingly

Greek

Wassily

Royal, kingly

Greek

Lists With Wesley

Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name Wesley.

Siblings of Wesley

Mamas with kids named Wesley also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Avalyn

Beautiful Bird

English

Nolan

Child of nobility

Irish

Alessandra

Defender of man

Italian

Devin

From dark-haired ones

Irish

John David
Leah

Weary one

Hebrew

Russell

Little red

English

Garrett

Spear rule

English

Solomon

Peace

Hebrew

Avi

Father

Hebrew

Pauleen

Small

Latin

Devon

Deep valley dweller

English

Kendra

Greatest champion

Welsh

Kennett

Fire born; good-looking

Irish

30 Comments

  1. We named our Son, Wesley, after my grandfather, who passed away when I was 10, in 1982. Wesley was actually Grandpa’s middle name, which he preferred over his given first name is which was Oren. His mother just started calling him Wes when he was young, because people at the time (1919), often mispronounced “Oren”. Not sure how, but that’s what we were told.

    My grandfather was my best friend when he died and still think of him daily and we get to say his name every day, too!! My son is proud of his name and it’s meaning to our family.

    When he was born (we didn’t want to know our baby’s gender beforehand), the nurse asked if he had a name, and I blurted out Wesley!! My wife smiled and the nurses thought it was funny, because I didn’t wait until she was done asking what his name would be!!

    Our son is a gift, because he has a lot traits of my grandfather and my Dad, in fact all three of their baby pictures are eerily very similar. More so between my son and grandfather.

    Reply

  2. I’ve always loved the name Wesley, and love the nickname Wes. As a teacher, sometimes it’s hard to find names that don’t have a connection to a student. My husband’s name is Bradley, which means “broad meadow.” Wesley means “western meadow.” I like how the full names are similar, but the nicknames (Brad and Wes) are more individual.

    Reply

  3. Can’t really explain it, I just knew it was his name. My husband said it outloud, then I said it outloud and I knew that was what his name was!

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  4. I picked Wesley darey

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  5. I love it. I like the sound of it – a simple strong name for a boy or a man!

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  6. I have always loved the name and once I saw The Princess Bride I knew id name my son Wesley.

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  7. My daughter named my grandson Wesley .
    We are from Belarus .
    My oldest daughter was married to black men.
    He’s blood ? from Nigeria and Irish ?
    They live in this Country for 105 years.
    The roots spreed all of the world…I think it’s so nice to have NAMES like Wes .
    I did discover a lot about this name. Sorry for my English. (

    Reply

  8. I am called Wesley. I love my name, as it is able to be shortened to Wes, and it is easy to say for other people
    Anyone else called Wesley will share my frustration when being called WESTley or Wensleydale cheese. I am good at chess, and there is a grandmaster called Wesley So, which encourages me to get better at chess

    Reply

    • Thanks for a good idea about it all let me look what dose Westley mean for onece thank for a nice idea

      Reply

    • That ‘t’ is relatable. I love my name as well. I didn’t know about the grandmaster, that’s neat.

      Reply

  9. It’s my father in laws name! I also love the nickname Wes

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  10. It flows with our last name and there aren’t that many Wesley’s. It’s a cute name too.

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  11. I just like it alot

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  12. Fathers name

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  13. I love that it represents something beautiful and earthy – a western meadow. I think it’s a cute name with a handsome nickname – Wes. It’s been in the top 200s for several decades now as well. It’s easy to pronounce 🙂

    Reply

  14. Wesley is my husband’s middle name as well as his father’s. We decided we would name our children after our middle names, and since we had a boy it was Wesley!

    Reply

  15. Saw this name in a book I read in high school and loved it! It is also in the Princess Bride and reminds me of a handsome brave boy.

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  16. At the time we thought it was different and unique. Not a lot of people or younger kids had the name.

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  17. Family name

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  18. Love the name Wesley! We chose it because we want the same anointing of John Wesley over our boys life!!!

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  19. Wesley is my brother’s middle name. I have always loved that name

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  20. We loved that it was not very common, but also not too crazy or trendy. We also loved that we could shorten it to Wes, which is a nickname that we loved. So many times we liked a name, but didn’t like the nickname so this one was perfect for us!

    Reply

  21. We named our son wesley after his dad because it’s a strong name with alot of love behind it…

    Reply

  22. he’s a jr

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  23. Wesley is his grandfathers name..

    Reply

  24. My partner and I love names that mature appropriately with our son, Wes/Wesley is not only a sweet baby name, but Wes is a great mature mans name, the name will grow with him.
    Charles Wesley was his namesake, a personal favorite hymn writer of mine, the name reminds me of my grandparents who sang hymns after dinner, my grandma taught me to play the organ.

    Reply

  25. I have loved the name Wesley since I was a kid. My boy likes that he can be called Wes or Wesley. We choose the name in part because of Charles and John Wesley who really pioneered a different music style of worship in their day and encouraging a personal relationship with Jesus through prayer. Pretty cool!

    Reply

  26. My husband chose this one- I prefer Weston. Love the nickname Wes tho.

    Reply

  27. I chose to use the name Wesley because it’s my grandfathers middle name.

    Reply

  28. We named Wesley after he was born because we could not decide on a name, so we waited to meet him. The day he was born it was obvious his name should be Wesley because he looks identical to my grandfather who’s name was Wesley.

    I like that Wesley is a family name.

    Wesley has my grandfather’s personality, as well as his face, so it suits him perfectly.

    Reply

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