Holding steady.
Popularity of Earley since 1885
Babies named Earley per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1921, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Earley's real moment was 1896.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 14 |
| 1890s | 38 |
| 1900s | 18 |
| 1910s | 85 |
| 1920s | 139 |
| 1930s | 98 |
| 1940s | 85 |
| 1950s | 73 |
| 1960s | 25 |
| 1970s | 6 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Earley is a classic example of a surname used as a first name that enjoyed brief popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It first appeared in U.S. birth records in 1885, and its peak year came in 1896, a time when surnames-as-first-names were fashionable. However, the name has since fallen out of common use, and its trajectory has been stable but very low, with no recorded births in many recent years. Because it never entered the top 1,000 names, it has no rank data or 1-in-N ratio. Earley was used almost exclusively for boys, and its top states of occurrence are not available due to its rarity. Today, it remains a distinctive choice for parents seeking an uncommon name with a potential connection to English heritage.
Earley may be a transferred use of an English surname. The surname itself likely derives from place names such as Earley in Berkshire, which is thought to come from Old English 'earn' (eagle) and 'leah' (wood, clearing), meaning 'eagle wood'. Alternatively, it could be a variant of Early, referring to someone who was early-rising or prompt. Its use as a given name in the United States peaked in the late 19th century but has become extremely rare today.
Nicknames & variants
Variants: Early, Erly
Sibling names for Earley
Names that share Earley's style, for a brother or sister.
