# Holley (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/holley/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | English |
| Meaning | “hollow”, “wood”, “clearing”, “meadow”, “eye” |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 4,690 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 204 / 4,486 (96% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 34, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

* As an English surname, spelling variant of Holly. * Also as an English surname, from Old English hol (“hollow”) leah (“wood, clearing, meadow”) or Old English hol ēage (“eye”), perhaps a nickname for someone with a missing eye. * Also as an English surname, singular variant of Hollis.

## What it means

Holley is grouped under forest.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 46 | 3,469 |
| 2012 | 52 | 3,188 |
| 2013 | 48 | 3,338 |
| 2014 | 51 | 3,205 |
| 2015 | 49 | 3,317 |
| 2016 | 43 | 3,611 |
| 2017 | 41 | 3,725 |
| 2018 | 47 | 3,365 |
| 2019 | 44 | 3,521 |
| 2020 | 47 | 3,305 |
| 2021 | 47 | 3,362 |
| 2022 | 39 | 3,848 |
| 2023 | 44 | 3,542 |
| 2024 | 33 | 4,322 |
| 2025 | 40 | 3,737 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1941 | 5 | 3,740 |
| 1942 | 8 | 2,803 |
| 1943 | 7 | 3,077 |
| 1944 | 8 | 2,733 |
| 1948 | 7 | 3,141 |
| 1949 | 6 | 3,494 |
| 1952 | 6 | 3,529 |
| 1953 | 9 | 2,794 |
| 1954 | 7 | 3,283 |
| 1955 | 5 | 4,099 |
| 1957 | 7 | 3,383 |
| 1959 | 5 | 4,247 |
| 1960 | 5 | 4,289 |
| 1964 | 5 | 4,289 |
| 1974 | 8 | 3,982 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 4 | 3,126 |
| 1997 | 7 | 2,152 |
| 1999 | 4 | 3,225 |
| 2000 | 3 | 3,912 |
| 2001 | 7 | 2,226 |
| 2002 | 3 | 4,137 |
| 2012 | 3 | 5,876 |
| 2019 | 3 | 5,591 |

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.