Oakley

Where Oakley comes from

From Old English Āclēa, from āc (“oak”) + lēah (“woodland clearing, glade”), thus a clearing in an oak forest; equivalent to oak + -ley (“lea”). Compare Ackley, Akeley and Oakleigh, which have the same origin.
— Wiktionary's entry for Oakley
  • From a surname
  • 2 syllables
  • Vowel-ended
Along the way
  1. 1865
    Oakley C. Curtis born
    American politician
  2. 1913
    First appearance
    #2,540 among girls, 7 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  3. 1920
    Oakley Hall born
    American novelist
  4. 2016
    Mostly girls from here
    Until now more boys than girls got the name; from this year it's the other way round, and has stayed that way.
  5. 2023
    Peak, #153
    1,884 babies named Oakley — more than any year before or since.
In the dictionary
  • A unisex given name transferred from the surname.
Namesakes
  • Oakley C. Curtis · American politician, 1865–1924
  • Oakley Hall · American novelist, 1920–2008
  • Oakley C. Collins · American politician, 1916–1994
  • Oakley Hall III · American playwright, 1950–2011

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.