How to say it
HAI · ley
/ˈheɪ.li/
Feminine
Hailey
Hay meadow
What it means
Old English place name, from hēg ('hay') + lēah ('meadow, clearing'). Originally an English surname for someone from a hay-meadow place; flipped feminine first name in the late 20th century.
Hailey is an English place name and surname, from the Old English hēg ('hay') + lēah ('clearing, meadow'). Multiple villages in England called Hailey or Hayley exist. The surname-to-feminine-first-name shift happened in the 1980s and 1990s in the US, alongside the broader -ley wave (Bailey, Riley, Ashley). The Hayley spelling is the older variant; Hailey is the dominant modern US spelling. Hailey Bieber (the model, married to Justin Bieber) gave the name modern celebrity anchor. It's been in the US top 100 since 1999 (peaked in 2008).
Popularity over time
peaked at #19 in 2010, currently #104 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
- Spelling
Hailey is the dominant US spelling; Hayley is the British and Australian standard. Same pronunciation.
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.
- Hailey Bieber American model, daughter of Stephen Baldwin, married to Justin Bieber
- Hayley Mills English actress, The Parent Trap and Pollyanna (Hayley spelling)
Spelling variants
- Hayley
- Haylee
- Hayleigh
Names with the same feeling
See Hailey from another angle
By style