How to say it
BLAKE · ly
/ˈbleɪk.li/
Feminine
Blakely
From the dark clearing
What it means
English place name from Old English blæc ('dark, black') + leah ('clearing, meadow'). Originally a surname tied to villages in the north of England. Sara Blakely the Spanx founder is the modern feminine cultural anchor.
Blakely is an English place name from the Old English blæc ('dark, black') + lēah ('clearing, woodland meadow'), giving 'dark clearing.' Tied to villages in Cumbria, Yorkshire, and Lancashire. The surname has been documented since the 13th century. Sara Blakely the American businesswoman (born 1971), the founder of Spanx and the first self-made female billionaire on the Forbes list, gives the surname its modern feminine cultural anchor. As a US first name Blakely is modern and feminine-leaning, basically post-2010. It entered the US top 500 in 2017. Common short: Blake or Lee.
Popularity over time
peaked at #156 in 2021, currently #191 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
Sara Blakely the Spanx founder is the dominant US cultural anchor; the first-name use is downstream of the broader -leigh and -lee feminine surname trend.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Sara Blakely American businesswoman, founder of Spanx, born 1971
Spelling variants
- Blakeley
- Blakelee
- Blakeleigh
Names with the same feeling
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