Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Finley

Say it FIN-lee 2 syllables

Scottish Gaelic · “fair warrior/hero”

Common across England and Wales and three Australian states. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 20 more places.

1 in 157 boys born in England and Wales in 2025. Number 18 there.

Finley in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 0, common in 4, rare in 23.
Finley in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales18 (down)20251,7331 in 157162020
Scotland132 (down)2025341 in 578882020
Northern Ireland185 (down)2025111 in 7531002020
Ireland159 (down)2025321 in 7421362020
North America
Ontario (province)207 (down)202467about 1 in 8941522019
Quebec (province)428 (new in the list)202510about 1 in 2,905Not listed2020
British Columbia (province)116 (up)202330about 1 in 4341592018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Victoria (state)75 (new in the list)202598Not listed2020
Queensland (state)79 (new in the list)202577Not listed2020
South Australia (state)81 (down)202524782020
New ZealandNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Western Europe
FranceRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Netherlands509 (down)202528about 1 in 2,3764522020
Central Europe
Austria1,241 (down)202521 in 19,0344562020
Switzerland982 (down)202561 in 6,0009802020
Berlin (city)381 (down)20238about 1 in 1,9392332018
Munich (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Cologne (city)659 (up)20231about 1 in 6,3789802018
Bonn (city)Rare: below the complete list20251542020
Leipzig (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Rostock (city)Rare: below the complete list20252122020
Nordic countries
NorwayRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Sweden834 (new in the list)20255about 1 in 8,626Not listed2020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
ItalyRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Central and Eastern Europe
PolandRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
IsraelRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Finley is a spelling of Finlay, a Scottish surname taken from the Gaelic Fionnlagh, meaning "fair warrior" or "fair hero". Like many surnames turned first names, it has been used for girls as well as boys.

2 more paragraphs

FIN-lee is two light syllables. Finn is the obvious short form, and Finlay and Findlay are the traditional Scottish spellings.

Finley is most popular in England and Wales, where it sits in the top 20, and it has a following in Victoria and Queensland as well. Its trend is now leaning downward, with more places falling than rising, and in Canada it peaked around 2021, so it is a well-established name of recent years rather than a brand-new one.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
FIN-lee · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
“fair warrior/hero”
Origin
Scottish Gaelic
Related names
Findlay, Finlay
Where Finley comes from (Wiktionary)

Variant of Finlay, a Scottish surname anglicized from Scottish Gaelic Fionnlagh "fair warrior/hero". Unisex given name from the surname.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Finley. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Finley over time

Rising in 2 of the 10 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 6. Peak in Ontario and British Columbia: 2021.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Finley in England and Wales: #704 in 1996, a peak of #16 in 2020, and #18 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300#1,000200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #704, 22 boys1997: #484, 39 boys1998: #182, 184 boys1999: #128, 320 boys2000: #123, 351 boys2001: #117, 374 boys2002: #91, 550 boys2003: #83, 710 boys2004: #71, 899 boys2005: #64, 1,049 boys2006: #60, 1,242 boys2007: #46, 1,643 boys2008: #43, 1,808 boys2009: #43, 1,905 boys2010: #35, 2,189 boys2011: #34, 2,245 boys2012: #34, 2,248 boys2013: #34, 2,154 boys2014: #36, 2,115 boys2015: #36, 1,978 boys2016: #35, 2,022 boys2017: #31, 1,944 boys2018: #30, 1,926 boys2019: #27, 1,842 boys2020: #16, 2,613 boys2021: #19, 2,283 boys2022: #21, 2,025 boys2023: #20, 1,844 boys2024: #18, 1,886 boys2025: #18, 1,733 boys#704 in 1996peak #16, 2020#18in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
199670422
199748439
1998182184
1999128320
2000123351
2001117374
200291550
200383710
200471899
2005641,049
2006601,242
2007461,643
2008431,808
2009431,905
2010352,189
2011342,245
2012342,248
2013342,154
2014362,115
2015361,978
2016352,022
2017311,944
2018301,926
2019271,842
2020162,613
2021192,283
2022212,025
2023201,844
2024181,886
2025181,733

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in Ontario and British Columbia

Half of the boys named Finley in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2017. Peak: 2021, about 168 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 0 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 0 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 0 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 0 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 0 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 0 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 0 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 0 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 0 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 0 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 0 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 0 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 0 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 0 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 0 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 10.3 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 51.8 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 72.9 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 147.2 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 145.7 per 100,000 boys20202015-2019: about 1 in 679 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19290
1930–19340
1935–19390
1940–19440
1945–19490
1950–19540
1955–19590
1960–19640
1965–19690
1970–19740
1975–19790
1980–19840
1985–19890
1990–19940
1995–19990
2000–200410.3
2005–200951.8
2010–201472.9
2015–2019147.2
2020–2024145.7

Source: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (OGL-Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (OGL-BC). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Finley

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Finley, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 289, Scotland

  2. 1 in 554, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 195, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 449, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 281, Scotland

  6. 1 in 192, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 65, Scotland

  8. 1 in 574, England and Wales

  9. 1 in 565, England and Wales

  10. 1 in 82, Northern Ireland

All 40 brother names for Finley

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Finley's 2 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 50, Ireland

  2. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  3. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 62, Poland

  5. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  6. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 137, Scotland

  8. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

Full-name check

Finley Jack

Syllables 2-1Initials F.J.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Finley

Sisters for Finley: Skye, Esme, Hallie, and 5 more
  1. SkyeRose and fell with Finley · Scottish Gaelic, like Finley
  2. EsmeRose and fell with Finley · Same generation as Finley
  3. HallieRose and fell with Finley · Same generation as Finley
  4. ArabellaRose and fell with Finley · Same generation as Finley
  5. DelilahRose and fell with Finley · Same generation as Finley
  6. LylaRose and fell with Finley · Same generation as Finley
  7. PoppyRose and fell with Finley · Same generation as Finley
  8. MaisieRose and fell with Finley · Same generation as Finley

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Finley

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Finley's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 15 more places.

  2. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 19 more places.

  3. Rare in all 24 places we hold figures for.

  4. Rare in all 24 places we hold figures for.

  5. Rare in all 24 places we hold figures for.

  6. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 18 more places.

  7. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 19 more places.

  8. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 20 more places.

Questions about Finley

How popular is Finley in England and Wales?

Finley ranked #18 in England and Wales in 2025, given to 1,733 boys, about 1 in 157.

Is Finley rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 2 of the 10 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 6. Rising in: British Columbia and Quebec.

What does Finley mean?

Finley means “fair warrior/hero”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Finley have?

Finley has 2 syllables: FIN-lee.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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