Oakley is an English surname and place name that means "oak clearing" or "oak meadow", from the Old English ac and leah. Sharpshooter Annie Oakley, the star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, gave the name its American ring. As a girls' name Oakley entered the US top 1000 in 2013, climbed from number 614 in 2015 to a peak of number 153 in 2023 and ranks 156th in 2025.