Atley is an English surname that comes from the Old English atte leah and means "at the clearing" or "at the meadow", describing someone who lived by a woodland clearing. As a first name it is a fresh entry in the family of -ley names that includes Hadley, Paisley and Oakley. Atley reached number 2274 in the United States in 2019, its best rank, and stands at number 2368 among girls' names in 2025.