Girl Names Ending with LY: Popular Hallie, Classic Lily

Girl names ending in LY and LEY range from chart-topping favorites, like Lily, to rare possibilities like Lively. Add in the former Top 100 choices, including Beverly and Kimberly, then stir in up-and-comers like Wrenlee and Amelie, and it’s quite the collection.

Plenty of names in this category most often end with LIE or even LEE, but they all share the “lee” sound, no mater the spelling.

Still, this list is by no means complete!

Some of the most interesting choices might not be names at all. They’re a mix of places, archaic or poetic words, and adverbs and adjectives.

Ghastly doesn’t work. Neither does Vaguely or Suddenly. Unlikely is just that.

But in our age of Harper and Willow, Journey and Sloane, these girl names ending in LY all feel like options to consider, no matter your preferred style.

ADALIE, ADELIE

An obscure Adele/Adelaide variant, and also a type of penguin. That’s because nineteenth century French explorer Jules Dumont d’Urville named part of Antarctica Adélie Land, after his wife. When he discovered the penguins, they also took his wife’s name.

ADLEY

Most likely a cousin to Hadley.

AINSLEY

As a surname, it’s also spelled Annesley and Ainslie, though the -LEY ending is most popular for our daughters.

ALLIE

A nickname for any name beginning with the Al- sound, or maybe just a nickname name that stands on its own.

AMBERLY

Amber plus hte ever-popular LY ending.

AMELIE

It’s the French equivalent of Amelia, but it also sounds like an elaboration of former favorite Amy. 

ANNALEY, ANNELIE

A smoosh of Anna and Lee, dozens of possible spellings are seen.

ARACELI, ARACELY

Poetic Aracely means “alter of the sky,” from a Latin phrase. It’s also a title of the Virgin Mary.

ARLIE, ARLY

Spelled Arlie, this was a Top 1000 unisex choice during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the US.

ASHLEY

One of the top names of the 1980s, Ashley started out as a surname meaning “ash tree clearing” or “ash meadow.” It was sometimes heard for boys, often because it was a family name. But then it became a generation-defining staple for our daughters.

BAILEY

Way back in 1978, America met the cast of soon-to-be-hit sitcom WKRP in Cincinatti, including Bailey Quarters. The name caught on for girls in the 1980s, then followed for boys, but ultimately proved a sister for Madison and Taylor. Spellings like Baylee, Baily, and Bayly had a moment, but it’s the familiar Bailey that remains most common. It comes from a Middle English occupational name for a bailiff – a court official.

BEVERLY

Another English surname turned stylish first for our daughters – circa 1935. Today, Beverly’s granddaughter (or even great-granddaughter) would probably be Everly instead. The meaning is usually given as “beaver stream,” borrowed from the Old English language.

BILLIE

A feminine form of William, or a nod to one of the many accomplished women to answer to the name. Willy and Willie were also heard in the past, but the B version is far more popular in the 21st century.

BLAKELY

Blakely is a legit English surname name, but it also feels a bit like Blake + lee.

BRADLEY

A Top 100 favorite for boys from 1960s into the 90s, Bradley feels fresher for our daughters today. Cross-gender use rose thanks in part to Reese Witherpoon’s character on The Morning Show. 

BRILEY, BRYLEE

Brianna meets Riley, a modern invention – but also a place name meaning “briar wood.”

BRINKLEY

Another surname, Brinkley brings to mind former supermodel Christie Brinkley. She spent a record 25 years as the face of Cover Girl cosmetics, as well as too many other high profile appearances to list.

CALLIE

A casual nickname name most often associated with Caroline, Callie also feels like a stand-alone name.

CARLY

Another Caroline spin-off, this one boosted by long-running Nickelodeon series iCarly. 

CECILY, CICELY

The original English form of Cecilia, now quite rare.

CHANTILLY

A French place name associated with a type of lace traditionally made there, as well as a 1958 smash hit song titled “Chantilly Lace,” which made it clear the song was about a girl.

CHARLIE

A boyish nickname for Charlotte, a unisex possibility in the key of Billie, and, of course, another girls’ name ending in the LEE sound. Possibly the most familiar gender-neutral name of our moment.

CORALIE

Like Rosalie, Coralie is French – and also tied to the natural world, this time via coral.

DOLLY

A sweet nickname name that could be short for Dorothy or Dolores, Dolly feels vintage and unexpected. Nineteenth century First Lady Dolley Madison’s name is typically spelled with an E today, though in her lifetime, it was often written as Dolly or even Dollie.

EARLY

One of those word names we’re not using – but maybe we should consider. Because it’s a surname, too, Early saw quite a bit of use earlier in the 1900s.

EILEY

A cousin to Ailey and Isley, Eiley is one of several possible spellings of this surname-style name.

EMBERLY

A synthetic surname, Emberly is simply nature name Ember + the -ley ending, modeled on Amberly and other Nature Plus names.

EMILY

A classic favorite and long-time #1 name in the US, Emily feels literary and refined. Variants like Emilie and Emmalee are also seen. 

EVERLY

Along with Everleigh and Everlee, this is among the fastest rising baby girl names in recent years. Originally a last name, Everly combines the sounds of traditional names like Evelyn and Emily, but with a twenty-first century sensibility.

GILLIE, GILLY, JILLY

Gillian has a long history of use, typically as a feminine form of Julian. For -ly names, any form of Gilly is probably pronounced with a J sound. Except Game of Thrones gave us the brave and kind Gilly, with a hard G like Gilbert.

HADLEY

Surname name Hadley was launched by bestseller The Paris Wife, the fictionalized account of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley Richardson, during their time in France. It’s since followed choices like Hailey and Harper straight up the charts.

HAILEY

Speaking of Hailey, with multiple spellings, it’s tough to pin down this name’s true popularity. Some spellings blur the line with Hallie/Halle, but plenty of them work beautifully. There’s Hailee, as in Steinfeld, as well as girl names ending in LY, like Hayley (as in Mills, the Disney child star who launched the name in the 1960s), and spare Haley, too. As for the comet? That’s Halley.

HALLIE

Another nickname name that feels like an independent choice. Actress Halle Berry’s name comes from Halle’s, a long-time Cleveland department store.

HALSEY

Invented by the pop star, Halsey was inspired by both a New York street name and an anagram of the singer’s birth name, Ashley. Which is probably why Halsey sneaks on to this list, even though it’s technically not an ends with LY name.

HARLEY

A surname name long associated with motorcycles and the open road.

HOLLY

This seasonal nature name would be big in the 2020s, except it already had a good run in the 1970s and 80s.

ISLEY

Along with Isele and Eisele, this could be a place name from an Old English element meaning hazel wood. Or it can come from an old German element meaning iron, making this an occupational surname for an ironworker. Either way, it’s a stylish, on-trend sound that fits with girl names ending in LY. 

ITALY

As a place name, Italy predates the Romans, and the meaning and origin are much disputed. Well over 5 million Italians immigrated to the US beginning in the nineteenth century, meaning that there are plenty of Italian-Americans, and maybe even more who just plain love the language, cuisine, and all things Italian. Italy has seen some use as a given name, as far back as the 1910s.

JULIE

The French form of Julia, Julie sounds like a nickname, but it’s actually complete.

JULY

This month name fits right between traditional favorites June and August on the calendar, so why not on baby name lists, too?

KEELY

Also spelled Keeley, this Irish surname has a lovely meaning: graceful.

KELLY

Another Irish import, this one as kelly green as a shamrock.

KENLEY

One more surname name, this time English or possibly Scottish.

KIMBERLY

The 1960s made Kimberly a hit for our daughters, and Kim has been well-established as a feminine favorite ever since.

KINLEY

A cousin to Kenley and McKinley, and a modern favorite for our girls.

KINSLEY

Yet another surname possibility.

KYLIE

Initially an Australian import, possibly with roots in an aboriginal language, Kylie caught on in the same era as Kyle.

LANGLEY

Like Ashley, a great many of the girl names ending in LY and LEY refer to a clearing. In Langley’s case, it might also come from a name with Norse roots, meaning “long life.”

LESLEY, LESLIE

Scottish surname name, Leslie was long popular for boys, then became a smash hit for girls in the middle of the twentieth century. Figures like pop singer Lesley Gore and Dynasty character Leslie Carrington helped the name increase in usage for girls.

LILY, LILLIE, LILLY

Lillie was once the most common. Now it’s the more botanical Lily.

LINLEY

It sounds like Lynn plus Lee, but Linley is another surname option.

LIVELY

Blake Lively graduated from Gossip Girl to Hollywood A-lister. She was born Blake Ellender Brown; Lively was her mother’s maiden name. It means energetic or vivacious, and sounds like an appealing rarity – almost a virtue name.

LOVELY

If names like Maverick and Legend can rank in the US Top 1000, why not Lovely? Lovely has been steadily used as a girl’s given name in the US. The numbers are small, but steady – six in 1918; 82 in 2014; 76 in 2021; 92 in 2024.

LULI

Luna, Lucia, and Lucy are more familiar. But Luli is a Spanish nickname for nearly any girl’s name beginning with the right sound.

MAGALI, MAGALIE

A cousin to Magdalene.

MARLEY

A surname name inspired by towering reggae legend Bob.

MERRILY

Familiar to most of us thanks to the lyrics of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” which has been around since at least the middle of the nineteenth century, Merrily is a cheerful word name option. From 1942 through 1944, it even ranked in the US Top 1000. Why? Nancy has the answer: Normandie Drake was a popular comic book character from Terry and the Pirates. In 1942, Normandie’s daughter, Merrily, was introduced. Nancy reports that the character Merrily was named for a real life Mary Lee.

MILEY

Miley rhymes with Kylie, but it was inspired by just one woman. Child star Miley Cyrus was born Destiny Hope Cyrus. But as a baby, she was so “smiley” that she earned Miley as a nickname – and eventually adopted it as her first name. Cyrus has graduated from Hannah Montana to pop superstardom, establishing her name as a possibility along the way.

MILLIE, MILLY

So many nickname names can be spelled multiple ways. Millie is no exception.

MOLLY

Originally a Mary nickname, Molly now stands on its own. It’s among the most classic of cute baby names ending with the -lee sound. 

NATALIE, NATALY

A Top 100 staple in the US in recent years, Natalie has a seasonal meaning: it refers to Christmas Day.

NELLIE

Another sweetly old-fashioned possibility. It can be short for names like Eleanor or Helen, or possibly even Nella or just plain Nell.

NOVALEE

1995 novel turned 2000 movie Where the Heart Is made Novalee an option for American parents.

OAKLEY, OAKLEE, OAKLIE, OAKLEY

Take the oak tree, add the ever-popular LEY ending, and you’ll arrive at Oakley. Other spellings make Oakley one of the most popular choices on the list of 21st century list of -ly names. It’s also a brand of sunglasses.

ORLI, ORLY

The name of a Paris suburb ultimately derived from the Latin word for gold, Orly is also a Hebrew name meaning “light for me.”

OTTILIE

French feminine form of Otto.

PAISLEY

A fabric pattern with Scottish roots and a lush, bohemian vibe.

POLLY

Like Molly, Polly started out as a nickname for Mary.

PRESLEY

A rock star surname name with that stylish LEY ending.

RILEY

An upbeat Irish surname, it’s also spelled Reilly – as well as Rylie, Rylee, and Rileigh, to list just a few.

RIPLEY

Inspired by Ellen Ripley, Sigourney Weaver’s hero in Alien and sequels.

ROMILLY

Origiinally a French surname, Romilly feels like a Ro-Milly mash-up.

ROSALIE

Vintage, French and ever so stylish.

SALLY

Sally started out as a nickname for Sarah, but all these years later, it’s a stand-alone girl’s name ending with LY. It might be a fresh substitute for Sadie or Callie. The 2025 Role Model song “Sally” might refresh this name at last. 

SHELLIE, SHELLY, SHELLEY

Either a surname – think Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein – or a Michelle nickname.

SHIRLEY

An English surname turned literary heroine in Charlotte Bronte’s novel Shirley, this name is synonymous with iconic Hollywood child star Shirley Temple. Once among the most popular names for a girl in the US, this 1930s chart-topper is in grandma territory – for now. 

SICILY

The biggest island in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Italy, Sicily is named for an ancient tribe, and has been ruled by many over the millennia – the Greeks and Romans governed it, the Byzantines, Arabs, and Normans conquered it. Sicily became a kingdom in its own right in the 1130, but we know it best as part of modern Italy. Spellings like Sicilly are sometimes seen, too. 

TALLY

Short for Thalia/Talia, Tallulah, Talitha or any Tal- name. 

THESSALY

A region of Greece, and maybe a place name with potential as a first, too.

TIGERLILY

A bold floral name, made more familiar by a character in JM Barrie’s Peter Pan.

TILLIE, TILLY

A Matilda nickname that feels familiar in our age of Millie.

TRULY

From Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to Sister Wives, Truly and Truely have a long history of sparing use, a virtue name with a stylish sound.

VERILY

An archaic English word meaning truly, Verily is a nearly forgotten word that might be prime for revival as a given name.

WAVERLY

A surname name that sounds like the sea.

WHITLEY

A successor to 1980s favorite Whitney.

ZELIE

A saintly short name, sometimes pronounced Zaylee, boosted by our love of the initial Z.

What do you think of these girl names ending in LY? Are there any other possibilities you would add to this list? 

First published on February 17, 2016, this post was revised and updated on August 11, 2022; November 11, 2024; and November 15, 2025.