Stanley

Meaning: Stony meadow or clearing
Origin: Old English

Nicknames: Stan

Boy's name · #863 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Popularity over time

Stanley is an heirloom: its strongest era came around 1915, when it ranked #34. It has thinned since but never left the records — about 301,000 boys since 1880, ranked #863 today. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Stanley is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 29 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Stanley ranks in other countries and regions.

#98 in England & Wales (2025) · #343 in New Zealand (2025) · #436 in Scotland (2025) · #475 in N. Ireland (2025) · #657 in Ireland (2025) · #1,081 in France (2025) · #1,599 in Ecuador (2025) · #652 in Canada (2024).

Famous Stanleys

Stanley Kubrick — American filmmaker (1928–1999)
Stanley Baldwin — British statesman (1867–1947)
Stanley Tucci — American actor and author (born 1960)
Stanley Cohen — American biochemist
Stanley B. Prusiner — American neurologist and biochemist

In stories & tradition

Stanley (Stan Marsh) — South Park (TV series)
Stanley Kowalski — A Streetcar Named Desire (book)
Stanley Hudson — The Office (TV series)

What Stanleys become

Among 1,820 notable people named Stanley:

Business leaders appear 1.55× more often than among typical names — e.g. Stanley Ho, Chinese politician (1921–2020).

Similar names: Harold · Steve · Willie · Howard · Ralph · Bobby

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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