Kingsley
Meaning
from an English surname and place name, read as "king's wood" or "king's clearing" in Old English
The story
Kingsley is a place name in Old English, and the sources split on the second half with unusual honesty: Behind the Name's given-name entry reads it as king's wood while its own surname records say king's clearing, so we carry both readings rather than pick a winner. American boys wore it thinly for a century, rarely past 130 a decade, and then the 2010s multiplied the 2000s figure nearly eightfold to about 3,200 boys, with girls arriving too, about 870 that decade. Behind the Name allows that Kingsley Shacklebolt of the Harry Potter films may have given it a minor boost, and the timing fits; we pass the hedge along intact. Regal in the front half, woodland in the back, whichever back you read.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Kingsley peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
33 people · the #88,550 first name in Brazil · median age 34
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Kingsley
Most people given the name Kingsley 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.
The Kingsley deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Kingsley 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 Kingsley fits with your family’s names and surname.
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