Boy, also used for girls · Old English · International
Oakley
OakleySay it OHK-lee
- Meaning today
- Oak clearing
- Original meaning
- "oak meadow: Old English ác, "oak", and léah, "lea, meadow"" Bosworth & Toller
- Say it
- OHK-lee
- Other spellings
- Oakleigh
Oakley
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Oakley meaning
Oakley is an international boy's name of Old English origin, also used for girls.
Oak meadow: Old English ác, "oak", and léah, "lea, meadow"
Also used to mean: oak clearing
Oakley is an English place name, found in many counties, that became a surname and then a first name. It joins two Old English words: ác, 'oak', and léah, which Bosworth-Toller gives as 'a lea' or 'meadow'; in place names léah usually marked open ground in or beside woodland. So Oakley is the meadow or clearing among the oaks. Baby-name lists give 'oak clearing' or 'oak meadow', which matches. The oak has long stood for strength and endurance in English tradition. Oakley is used for both boys and girls, and is said OHK-lee.
Source: Bosworth & Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (1898), online edition · entry ác (with léah) · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Bosworth-Toller, ác · Bosworth-Toller, léah
Popularity abroad
- #454 United States, boys 2025 (down 46 from 408 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #33 England and Wales, boys 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Oakley · Oakleigh