Haley is an English surname and place name from the Old English heg and leah, meaning "hay clearing" or "hay meadow". It became a girls' name in the 1980s, boosted by the many spellings Hayley, Hailey and Haleigh, and was one of the biggest names of the 1990s. Haley reached number 28 in 2000, a top 100 name at the time, but has fallen steadily since and ranks number 861 among girls in 2025.