Baby Name of the Day: Wesley

The baby name Wesley has hugged the edges of the most popular baby boy names for generations. It blends English gentleman, with home-on-the-range vibes.

Thanks to Another for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME WESLEY MEAN?

The baby name Wesley started out as an English surname meaning “west meadow.”

West is obvious, a directional term with Old English roots. The -ley comes from that familiar leah, meaning meadow.

Wesley appears all over the map, presumably because lots of western meadow-adjacent locations required naming over the years. 

Any name that appears on the map is likely to become a surname, at least occasionally, and Wesley is no exception.

Worth noting: similar-sounding surnames like Wessel and Wessels are not related to Wesley. (Though Wessel, Wesley, and Wes all trended with Dutch-speaking parents in the Netherlands earlier in the 2000s.)

JOHN WESLEY

Wesley made the leap to given name status thanks, in part, to 18th century religious reformer John Wesley. 

Educated at Oxford as a theologian, Wesley considered himself a lifelong member of the Church of England. But he entertained many philosophies and approaches to organized religion that were controversial in his day. Over time, though, Wesley became a respected thinker, and the founder of Methodism – though he saw it as a revival, rather than a separate denomination.  

His younger brother, Charles Wesley, followed him into the faith. He’s best remembered as a prolific writer of hymns, including “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!”

By the 1800s, the influence of John Wesley meant that the  name Wesley was given in his honor.

JOHN WESLEY HARDIN

One of the men named after the reformer? Future outlaw John Wesley Hardin.

Born in 1853, Hardin was a thoroughly despicable character, in trouble with the law from an early age and jailed for murder at the age of 23.

But in pop culture, Hardin became a romanticized hero.

He features in books, movies, and television.

Johnny Cash recorded Hardin Wouldn’t Run in 1965. Two years later, Bob Dylan recorded John Wesley Harding. (Same figure, just with an extra ‘g’ on his name.)

Instead of sounding polished and gentlemanly, by the 1960s, the baby name Wesley felt a little rough and tumble.

THE PRINCESS BRIDE

1973 novel The Princess Bride added a t to the name: Westley.

In 1987, it became a movie, starring Cary Elwes as Westley – and, of course, the black clad, blonde ponytail Dread Pirate Roberts, too. 

Despite modest success at the box office, it quickly became a beloved classic.

It didn’t change the spelling of the name, but Westley emerged as a common variant. In most cases, the pronunciation changes slightly, with just a hint of a ST sound before. 

The reference help cement Wesley’s status as an emerging classic name.

SNIPES, CRAVEN, CRUSHER

Pop culture gave us more and more figures answering to the name.

• Young actor Wesley Eure appeared in soap opera Days of Our Lives and children’s television series Land of the Lost, both airing simultaneously during the 1970s. 
• Horror movie director extraordinaire Wes Craven made it big in the 1980s, beginning with A Nightmare on Elm Street. 
• Indie filmmaker Wes Anderson continues to create offbeat, insightful movies, from Moonrise Kingdom to The Fantasic Mr. Fox to The Phoenician Scheme. 
• Actor Wesley Snipes rocketed to stardom in 1991’s New Jack City. By 1998, he was playing a half-vampire hero in the Blade series. He cameoed as the character in 2024’s Deadpool and Wolverine. 
• Speaking of vampires, in the late 1990s, we met Wesley Wyndham-Price, a new character on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He later became part of the cast of Buffy spin-off Angel. 
• And one more: The Vampire Diaries gives us Wes Maxfield. (Plus one of the main characters – Stefan – is played by actor Paul Wesley.)
• Science fiction fans might think of Wesley Crusher, played by Wil Wheaton. The young crew member on Star Trek: The Next Generation is a child prodigy. His name likely pays homage to the original Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry – middle name Wesley. The character debuted in 1987.

The list barely scratches the surface.

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME WESLEY?

The baby name Wesley has ranked in the US Social Security Administration (SSA) Top 200 – and sometimes higher – every year since the rankings began in 1880. 

It fits in nearly every era, sounding right with early 20th century picks like Stanley and Harvey, alongside Baby Boomers Larry and Jerry, and in the mix with 80s favorites like Cody, Corey, and Casey.

But this is truly the moment for the baby name Wesley.

As of 2024, it reached an all-time high of #58 in the United States. 

At #656, we’re at peak usage for Westley-with-a-T, too. And, at #70, Weston is more stylish than ever before. 

So the name Wesley is enjoying more popularity than ever before – at least in the US.

Elsewhere in English-speaking countries, like Canada and United Kingdom, the baby name Wesley remains uncommon. 

VERSATILE and TRADITIONAL

As of the 2020s, the baby name Wesley feels like it could substitute for choices like current, surname style favorites. Think Carter and Hudson. But it also sounds like a genuine, actual classic – a brother for William or Charles. 

Maybe that’s because the name feels surprisingly versatile. It shares the softer sounds of Sebastian and Elijah, but pop culture gives us the outlaw and Wesley Snipes – figures that lend it a different energy, a strong boy name. 

Diminutive Wes leans a little breezy and vintage, closer to diminutives like Gus or even Max.

Wes Anderson keeps the name indie cool, leaving no question that an actual adult Wesley can succeed in any field of endeavour. 

Call it a quiet classic, and endlessly flexible possibility. It’s the perfect name for parents torn between Joseph and Maverick, or Sebastian and Cade. 

This name threads the needle, which is possibly the only bad news. The popularity of the name Wesley isn’t slowing down.

What do you think of the baby name Wesley?

First published on September 28, 2008, this post was revised and re-published on February 2, 2021; July 5, 2022; and August 27, 2025.