Whitley
Whitley is a girl's name of English origin.
Meaning
White meadow or bright clearing.
Origin and history
Whitley is an English surname turned given name derived from Old English words meaning 'white meadow' or 'cleared meadow'. It gained notable visibility in the late 1980s and 1990s through popular television culture and continues to be used as a fresh unisex option in the U.S.
Popularity in the United States
8,148 babies in the United States have been named Whitley since 1880. It ranks #1850 all-time. Among babies born since 2020 it ranks #751.
States where it is most popular
- TX (15 %)
- GA (8.5 %)
- KY (7.2 %)
- TN (7 %)
- NC (6.2 %)
Trends by decade
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880-1890 | 0 |
| 1890-1900 | 0 |
| 1900-1910 | 0 |
| 1910-1920 | 0 |
| 1920-1930 | 0 |
| 1930-1940 | 0 |
| 1940-1950 | 0 |
| 1950-1960 | 0 |
| 1960-1970 | 0 |
| 1970-1980 | 0 |
| 1980-1990 | 1,052 |
| 1990-2000 | 2,007 |
| 2000-2010 | 887 |
| 2010-2019 | 2,075 |
| 2020-2029 | 2,127 |
Famous people named Whitley
- Whitley Gilbert: Fictional Character
Fun facts
- The name experienced a notable rise in usage in the late 1980s due to the character Whitley Gilbert on the hit sitcom A Different World.
- It originally referred to several places in England named for their pale soil or clearings.