Wiley is an English and Scottish surname turned first name, taken from the River Wylye in Wiltshire, whose Celtic name means "tricky stream", or from a Scottish pet form of William; the spelling also suggests the word wily, clever and cunning. Aviator Wiley Post, the first pilot to fly solo around the world, is its most famous American bearer. Wiley has risen from number 1943 in 2000 to a peak of 1080 in 2021 and ranks 1226 in 2025.