Buckley is a surname with two sources: in England it is a place name from Old English bucc and leah, "deer meadow" or "buck clearing", and in Ireland it anglicizes Ó Buachalla, "descendant of the herdsman". The nickname Buck gives it a rugged, outdoorsy sound that fits the current taste for surnames. In the United States Buckley has risen from number 6734 in 2015 to number 2184 in 2025, just below its 2024 peak of 2032, with 65 boys given the name.