How to say it
HAR · ley
/ˈhɑːr.li/
Unisex
Harley
Hare's meadow
What it means
An English place name, 'hare wood or clearing,' from hara ('hare') plus leah ('meadow').
Harley is an English locational surname, a 'meadow where hares run,' from hara and leah. As a first name it carries an unmistakable rumble of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and a recent jolt from the Batman antiheroine Harley Quinn. It runs genuinely unisex, edgy and modern, with the spellings Harlee and Harleigh on the girls' side.
Popularity over time
Feminine: peaked at #202 in 2017, currently #418 in 2025.
Masculine: peaked at #164 in 1887, currently #1083 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
- Worth knowing
Unisex; the Harley-Davidson rumble and Harley Quinn are the touchstones.
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.
- Harley Quinn the DC antiheroine, born Dr. Harleen Quinzel
Spelling variants
- Harlee
- Harleigh
- Harly
Names with the same feeling
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