English place name, from west and leah, "clearing" — west meadow. John Wesley founded Methodism, and Methodist families made his surname a first name.
Wesley ranks 52nd among American boys in 2025, with 5,679 born that year. Its best year was 2025, when 5,679 babies were given the name, ranking 52nd. The typical living American called Wesley is about 35 years old today. It is relatively most common in Wyoming, where it accounts for 0.84% of births.
Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.