Daley

Meaning & origin

Daley entered U.S. baby name records in 1984, a relatively late debut for a name that feels both familiar and surname-like. Its peak year came in 2002, and since then its usage has remained stable, never surging into the top ranks. In 2025, the name ranked 8860th, with a frequency of about 1 in 146,115 births, indicating a modest but steady presence. The trajectory is flat, suggesting Daley occupies a quiet niche among contemporary surname-style given names. Its top states are not concentrated, reflecting a broad but thin distribution across the country. Daley's Irish roots via the surname Daly give it a subtle heritage appeal without being tied to a single region.

Daley likely originates as a transferred use of the Irish surname Daley, anglicized from Ó Dálaigh, meaning 'descendant of Dálaigh.' The personal name Dálaigh is possibly derived from dál, meaning 'assembly' or 'council.' As a given name, Daley came into occasional use in the late 20th century, first recorded in U.S. data in 1984. It is used for both boys and girls, though slightly more common for boys in recent decades.