Boys' name · peaked in 2025
Wesley name popularity since 1925
232,391 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Wesley (1.3% girls, 98.7% boys). Half of them were born in 1988 or earlier, so the typical Wesley is about 38 years old in 2026. Wesley peaked in 2025 as the #52 name for boys, and it ranked #52 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 232,391
- Named Wesley, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #52
- for boys in 2025 (5,578 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 98.7% boys
- 3,114 girls · 229,277 boys
- Most popular in
- Hawaii
- 1.78× its national share
Peak year is the year Wesley made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Wesley births per year, 1925–2025
2025 was the biggest year for Wesley both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1972 and 1977, Wesley became 2.5× more common, from 1 in 960 baby boys to 1 in 382.
- Steepest fall: Between 1977 and 1982, its share of baby boys fell by 36%, from 1 in 382 to 1 in 599.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Wesley's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Wesley.
Decade by decade
Babies named Wesley in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 56 | 6,272 | – |
| 1930s | 118 | 10,937 | #148 |
| 1940s | 149 | 12,465 | #163 |
| 1950s | 133 | 18,074 | #151 |
| 1960s | 150 | 18,807 | #160 |
| 1970s | 254 | 23,252 | #158 |
| 1980s | 482 | 31,088 | #94 |
| 1990s | 399 | 28,246 | #129 |
| 2000s | 241 | 21,084 | #189 |
| 2010s | 472 | 31,167 | #126 |
| 2020–25 | 660 | 27,885 | #52 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
22.6% of babies named Wesley from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Alpha years (2013–2025). The full split by generation:
Where Wesley is most popular
The index compares Wesley's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Wesley.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 1.78× | 1,284 |
| Wyoming | 1.74× | 545 |
| Montana | 1.71× | 1,156 |
| Alaska | 1.69× | 582 |
| Utah | 1.62× | 3,192 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Wesley and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Wesley (this page) | 229,277 | 2025 |
| Wesly | 1,383 | 2002 |
| Weslee | 1,233 | 2023 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Wesley's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Wesley.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Wesley (2025).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data