Wesley
Pronounced W EH1 S L IY0 (ARPABET)
- 2 syllables
- Peaked 2024
- 145 years in use
- 2 spellings
How popular is Wesley?
Wesley is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 247,488 children — the 159th most common boys' name on record.
It is gaining, with the past decade running 64% ahead of the one before it. Its best single year was 2024, when 5,196 children were given it.
Two other spellings are counted in that total — Weslee and Wesleigh — because they are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Wesley and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Weslee
- Wesleigh
Nicknames
Common short forms: Wes.
Characteristics
- 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- W EH1 S L IY0 · W EH1 S L IY1
- Stress pattern:
- 10 · 11
- Syllables:
- 2
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Wesley
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Wesley
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Wesley?
- Wesley ranks 159th among boys' names in US records, with 247,488 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 40,344.
- Is Wesley a unisex name?
- No. Wesley is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Wesley most popular?
- 2024, when 5,196 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- What are common nicknames for Wesley?
- Wes. These are recorded as separate names in their own right, so each has its own page and its own popularity curve.
- How else is Wesley spelled?
- Weslee, Wesleigh. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.