Hayley

Hayley is an English female given name that originated as a transferred use of the surname Haley, which itself derived from a place name in England. The place name comes from Old English heg "hay" and leah "clearing or meadow", meaning "hay clearing". Though it can occasionally be used for males, Hayley is almost exclusively a female name.

The name was brought to public attention primarily by the British child actress Hayley Mills (born 1946), whose fame in films such as Pollyanna (1960) popularized the name in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Before Mills, the name was virtually unused as a given name. Its popularity peaked in these countries in the 1980s and early 1990s before declining significantly after the 2000s. In the United States, alternative spellings such as Haley and Hailey are more common, reflecting a preference for phonetic simplicity. As of current data, Hayley ranks among the top 1,500 female names in the US.

Variants of Hayley include Haylee, Hailie, Haleigh, Hailee, and the aforementioned Haley and Hailey. These multiple spellings have contributed to the name's recognizable but diffuse presence across English-speaking countries. The name is also used in some Spanish and French contexts, though rarely. Despite its decline, Hayley remains a widespread name globally, with many notable bearers beyond the original actress.

Notable individuals named Hayley include Canadian singer Hayley Sales, Australian swimmer Hayley Lewis, English actress Hayley Atwell, and American physicist Hayley Arceneaux (born 1991), who became a medical ambassador for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and flew on the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission.

• Meaning: hay clearing (from Old English heg + leah)
• Origin: English surname, later given name
• Type: First name (female)
• Primary usage: English-speaking countries (UK, Australia, New Zealand)
• Common variants: Haley, Hailey, Haylee, Hailee, Hailie, Haleigh