Whitley
Boy name · #1812 in 2025 · Very rare
In 2025, 88 baby boys were named Whitley, placing it at #1812 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #5507, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 20,455 boys born in 2025 was named Whitley.
Babies named Whitley per year. Source: SSA.
The 111-year story
Whitley first appears in the Social Security records in 1914, when 5 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2025, with 88 babies and a rank of #1808. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Whitley against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Whitley in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Whitley is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Whitley will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Whitley is most common
State-level data for Whitley is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Whitley
Statistically, parents drawn to Whitley tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Huntley, Buckley, Ripley, Radley, and Wrigley.
HuntleyBuckleyRipleyRadleyWrigleyAdleyArleyWestley
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Whitley | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 88 | #1808 |
| 2024 | 77 | #1997 |
| 2023 | 79 | #1954 |
| 2022 | 63 | #2269 |
| 2021 | 50 | #2588 |
| 2020 | 37 | #3074 |
| 2019 | 47 | #2694 |
| 2018 | 44 | #2748 |
| 2017 | 42 | #2840 |
| 2016 | 33 | #3358 |
| 2015 | 16 | #5507 |
| 2014 | 14 | #5997 |
| 2013 | 15 | #5659 |
| 2012 | 11 | #7050 |
| 2011 | 8 | #8767 |
| 2010 | 6 | #10766 |
| 2009 | 5 | #12491 |
| 2008 | 7 | #9871 |
| 2007 | 6 | #10921 |
| 2006 | 9 | #7998 |
| 2005 | 9 | #7640 |
| 1998 | 6 | #8479 |
| 1997 | 6 | #8110 |
| 1996 | 7 | #7136 |
| 1995 | 6 | #7792 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Whitley a popular boy name?
Whitley ranked #1812 among boys in 2025 with 88 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #5507.
When was the name Whitley most popular?
Whitley peaked in 2025, when 88 American boys received the name (ranked #1808 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Whitley?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 20,455 newborn American boys was named Whitley. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.