Henley

• Origin: English
• Gender: Unisex
• Meaning: “high-meadow.”
• Usage: Anglophone countries
• First Est. 19th-century

From a transferred use of the English place name and surname. The surname derives from several places in England, most of which come from the Old English hēah and lēah, meaning a woodland clearing or meadow. It is also the name of several places in England and a number of towns in the United States. The Henley shirt takes its name from Henley-on-Thames, where rowers traditionally wore this style during the town’s famous regatta.

Henley was also the name of three U.S. Navy destroyers, named in honor of the Henley naval family, including brothers Robert Henley and John Dandridge Henley, who served during the War of 1812 and the First Barbary War. Its usage as a male given-name in early America could have been in part influenced by that, but its usage occurs as early the 17th-century.

More recently, Henley has also been adopted as a feminine given name in the United States, possibly aided by the character Henley Reeves in Now You See Me, portrayed by Isla Fisher. The reason for its increasing popularity among boys in the United Kingdom is less certain, although it may appeal to parents looking for a less common alternative to the popular name Henry. Its use in both countries on males and females could have also been influenced by Eagles band member, Don Henley.

In 2013, Henley first entered the U.S. top 1000 most popular female names, it has thus far peaked at #511 in 2016 and is currently the 1000th most popular female in the United States.

In England & Wales, Henley appears in the top 1000 most popular male names in 2007, and peaked at #330 in 2012 and currently ranks in as 484th most popular male name.

Sister Names: Afton, Avery, Blair(e), Braxlynn, Chelsea, Collins, Delaney, Emery, Emerson, Harper, Harlow, Jordan/Jordyn, Kendall, Kennedy, Lennon, Logan, Mackenzie, Madison, Oaklynn, Quinn, Paige, Parker, Peyton, Raelynn, Reese, Saylor, Sloane, Skylar, Sutton, Tatum, Taylor

Brother Names: Avery, Blair, Boden, Braylon, Brewer, Cason/Kaysen, Cody, Colton, Donovan, Dustin, Elliot(t), Emery, Fletcher, Foster, Gage, Hudson, Huxley, Jackson, Lee, Lennon, Lennox, Logan, Macklin, Mccoy, Otis, Porter, Quincy, Riggs, Van, Trace, Tyson, Wallace, Wesson

Sources

• https://www.behindthename.com/name/henley
• https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/search.php?myfirstname=HENLEY&fnqualify=equals&mybool=AND
• http://www.findagrave.com
• https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/
• https://names.darkgreener.com/