Wesley

#1,911 for girls in 2025, 101 births · #52 for boys in 2025, 5,578 births
Given to boys 98.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
2025 · 5,578 births
Debut · boys
123 births
In top 100 · boys
18 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
247,713
since 1880

Wesley over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201972boysat peak
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#1,911101#525,578
2024#2,17887#585,162
2023#1,780114#694,555
2022#1,638129#704,668
2021#1,577133#854,216
2020#1,96596#983,706
2019#2,65165#993,764
2018#2,21783#1053,628
2017#2,77961#1113,577
2016#2,69764#1173,429
2015#3,53344#1263,233
2014#3,48645#1303,143
2013#5,01327#1392,837
2012#4,95728#1552,649
2011#4,35333#1562,476
2010#5,97722#1592,431
2009#5,09728#1762,211
2008#7,40817#1932,067
2007#4,38034#1952,064
2006#5,23326#1902,103
2005#7,13816#1892,113
2004#3,89836#1842,108
2003#4,30730#1842,123
2002#6,12918#1832,051
2001#5,82219#1842,028
2000#6,20817#1712,216
1999#3,89530#1682,207
1998#4,63623#1522,242
1997#3,71630#1442,358
1996#2,84942#1372,616
1995#2,78843#1292,798
1994#3,37233#1183,031
1993#2,28956#1133,172
1992#2,38654#1113,239
1991#2,79042#1063,267
1990#2,57146#1073,316
1989#2,14757#983,457
1988#2,03258#923,478
1987#2,09852#923,244
1986#2,00354#963,043
1985#2,17248#943,043
1984#2,01850#1012,799
1983#2,36040#1012,788
1982#2,11548#983,031
1981#2,77432#993,040
1980#2,27843#953,165
1979#2,38739#893,237
1978#2,51634#833,306
1977#2,71530#664,302
1976#3,09523#1192,147
1975#3,15522#1581,531
1974#3,00823#1651,467
1973#3,48118#1581,554
1972#2,90323#1541,690
1971#3,16621#1511,959
1970#3,11021#1522,059
1969#3,19918#1571,861
1968#3,05718#1651,642
1967#3,34015#1671,587
1966#4,19810#1571,803
1965#4,20210#1601,860
1964#3,37915#1621,969
1963#2,86419#1572,100
1962#2,66821#1621,963
1961#3,46014#1632,002
1960#4,18410#1642,020
1959#2,98016#1602,000
1958#4,1939#1601,954
1957#2,65119#1601,993
1956#3,32113#1572,004
1955#3,77810#1511,925
1954#3,15713#1551,844
1953#2,51618#1591,733
1952#3,20112#1651,594
1951#2,57716#1711,500
1950#4,3157#1651,527
1949#2,51416#1661,406
1948#2,25519#1691,336
1947#3,06112#1631,459
1946#2,59714#1671,248
1945#2,59812#1621,107
1944#3,3788#1591,169
1943#2,25116#1551,267
1942#1,98119#1551,253
1941#2,01817#1581,091
1940#2,02916#1521,129
1939#2,9229#1461,113
1938#3,8476#1501,074
1937#2,10115#1461,065
1936#2,38612#1451,061
1935#2,30513#1481,040
1934#2,18714#1421,118
1933#3,4067#1471,030
1932#2,49012#1441,135
1931#2,10515#1431,115
1930#2,20215#1421,186
1929#2,92110#1431,182
1928#2,19416#1431,181
1927#3,5618#1341,324
1926#3,04610#1311,320
1925#2,77812#1351,265
1924#3,14410#1311,347
1923#2,73212#1251,379
1922#3,15210#1271,287
1921#3,4009#1271,332
1920#2,73112#1291,244
1919#3,2199#1351,099
1918#2,10217#1371,145
1917#3,0929#1361,014
1916#3,5527#1351,026
1915#3,1348#133990
1914#2,8767#131789
1913#2,1649#133585
1912#2,6346#134485
1911#2,4635#131261
1910#1,9357#152209
1909#136197
1908#135185
1907#125191
1906#135155
1905#123174
1904#127166
1903#126153
1902#133145
1901#115146
1900#127181
1899#134119
1898#123151
1897#134121
1896#120145
1895#112156
1894#113149
1893#119136
1892#120142
1891#120115
1890#1,3385#117131
1889#144101
1888#113147
1887#116115
1886#120121
1885#128108
1884#121120
1883#122104
1882#101145
1881#117102
1880#109123
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Wesley was already there! It came in at #109, and was given to 123 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1894, when fewer than 150 boys a year got the name.

See more about Wesley
Momentum · boys
Rising
  • 6 spots since 2024 (#58#52)
  • 46 spots since 2020 (#98#52)
  • 74 spots since 2015 (#126#52)
  • Biggest jump: 53 spots in 1977 (#119#66)
  • Biggest drop: 31 spots in 1889 (#113#144)
Rise & fade · boys
145 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 2025 at #52 (5,578 births)
  • Not yet halved from its peak
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 18 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 18 yrs · run 2019–2025
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 306
  • Highest: 1 in 306 boys born in 2025 were named Wesley (0.33%)
Era · boys
The 2010s
  • 12.6% of all boys named Wesley (31,167) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s1,186#101 (1882)#119
1890s1,365#112 (1895)#121
1900s1,693#115 (1901)#128
1910s7,603#131 (1914)#136
1920s12,861#125 (1923)#133
1930s10,937#142 (1930)#145
1940s12,465#152 (1940)#161
1950s18,074#151 (1955)#160
1960s18,807#157 (1963)#161
1970s23,252#66 (1977)#130
1980s31,088#92 (1988)#97
1990s28,246#106 (1991)#129
2000s21,084#171 (2000)#185
2010s31,167#99 (2019)#130
2020s27,885#52 (2025)#72

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Wesley in 1972

girls
#2,903
23 births · 1 in 66,141 girls
boys
#154
1,690 births · 1 in 960 boys

Top girls' names in 1972

  1. #1Jennifer63,600
  2. #2Michelle29,285
  3. #3Lisa27,543
  4. #4Kimberly26,282
  5. #5Amy25,873
  6. #6Angela23,561
  7. #7Melissa22,494
  8. #8Stephanie16,890
  9. #9Heather16,320
  10. #10Nicole15,755
  11. #2,903Wesley23

Top boys' names in 1972

  1. #1Michael71,393
  2. #2Christopher52,172
  3. #3James47,063
  4. #4David46,322
  5. #5John43,158
  6. #6Robert43,013
  7. #7Jason37,423
  8. #8Brian36,306
  9. #9William30,510
  10. #10Matthew22,928
  11. #154Wesley1,690
More about 1972

girls

1,521,244 girls got a published name in 1972; 1 in 66,141 of them was named Wesley, which outranked 70.0% of the 9,666 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.6% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Wesley
  1. #2,820Wanita24
  2. #2,820Wendolyn24
  3. #2,820Yalanda24
  4. #2,903Wesley23
  5. #2,903Albertina23
  6. #2,903Alonda23
  7. #2,903Alysa23
  8. #2,976Alda22
  9. #2,976Alise22
  10. #2,976Amberly22

Tied with 72 names at #2,903; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1971
Risers
  1. 5,804Camisha#6,619#815
  2. 3,921Catina#4,123#202
  3. 1,842Cherilyn#2,665#823
  4. 1,789Chasity#2,542#753
  5. 1,694Keena#2,542#848
Fallers
  1. 517Shayla#836#1,353
  2. 428Raina#798#1,226
  3. 280Kendall#742#1,022
  4. 275Alycia#951#1,226
  5. 255Charisse#727#982

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,621,608 boys got a published name in 1972; 1 in 960 of them was named Wesley, which outranked 97.3% of the 5,751 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 26.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Wesley
  1. #151Leonard1,718
  2. #152Manuel1,703
  3. #153Ricardo1,701
  4. #154Wesley1,690
  5. #155Jacob1,683
  6. #156Dean1,682
  7. #157Adrian1,678
Biggest movers since 1971
Risers
  1. 2,755Demond#3,146#391
  2. 1,286Cade#2,279#993
  3. 905Vidal#1,526#621
  4. 855Damond#1,784#929
  5. 849Kareem#1,254#405
Fallers
  1. 413Rich#914#1,327
  2. 401Monroe#947#1,348
  3. 317Laura#990#1,307
  4. 309Von#976#1,285
  5. 309Westley#998#1,307

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1972