Henley
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Meaning
from the English surname Henley, from the name of various English towns
The story
Henley comes from the English surname Henley, which Behind the Name derives from the name of various towns in England. One of those towns, Henley-on-Thames, hosts the Henley Royal Regatta, the recurring rowing event on its stretch of the Thames. As an American first name it is essentially new and essentially female: a thin line of boys since the 1910s, never past about 110 a decade until recently, then the girls arrived, about 59 in the 1990s, about 270 in the 2000s, about 4,200 in the 2010s, and about 2,300 so far this decade. A place name that kept a thin boys' line in the record's margins for a hundred years, then became a mainstream girls' first name almost overnight.
How popular is Henley around the world?
In the United States, 2,730 babies were named Henley between 2020 and 2025. In South Australia, 4 girls were registered as Henley in 2017.
Henley is on the official records of the United States, South Australia, England and Wales and Canada.
United States
1 in 8,000
In the United States, 2,730 babies were named Henley between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Henley peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
South Australia
1 in 2,3002017
In South Australia, 4 girls were registered as Henley in 2017.
In South Australia, 4 boys were registered as Henley in 2017.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
England and Wales
1 in 7,600
In England and Wales, 77 boys named Henley were born in 2025, the 497th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Canada
1 in 8,100
In Canada, 26 girls named Henley were born in 2024, ranked 1,023rd among girls that year.
In Canada, 19 boys named Henley were born in 2024, ranked 1,232nd among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Scotland
last on record 2011
Henley is not on the 2024 record for Scotland, where spellings under 3 in total are suppressed at source.
The count never rose above 7 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Ireland, New Zealand and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Austria record for 1984 to 2025: Statistik Austria publishes every first name down to a single birth, so this name was not given there in those years (before 2010 the record covers babies with Austrian citizenship only). Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Henley
Most people given the name Henley in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Names that fit alongside Henley
The Henley deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Henley truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Henley fits with your family’s names and surname.
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