How to say it
WES · ley
/ˈwɛs.li/
Masculine
Wesley
Western meadow
What it means
Old English place name, west ('west') + lēah ('meadow, clearing'). The surname of John and Charles Wesley, founders of Methodism, made it a first name in honor of the movement.
Wesley comes from an Old English place name meaning 'western meadow' (west + lēah). It stayed a surname until John Wesley (1703-1791) and his brother Charles, the founders of Methodism, made it famous; Methodist families in the 19th-century US used Wesley as a first name to honor the movement. Wesley Snipes and the Princess Bride's Westley (the same name spelled differently) gave it cultural anchors through the late 20th century. It's been in the US top 200 since 2010. Wes is the universal short, often used as a given name in its own right.
Popularity over time
peaked at #52 in 2025, currently #52 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
- Nickname
Wes is the universal short and a fully separate given name.
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.
- John Wesley 18th-century English clergyman, founder of Methodism
- Wesley Snipes American actor, Blade and White Men Can't Jump
- Westley (Princess Bride) Cary Elwes's farm-boy hero, 'As you wish.'
Spelling variants
- Westley
- Wes
Names with the same feeling
See Wesley from another angle
By style