Yesly is a modern name used mainly in Spanish-speaking families; it has no established etymology and is usually explained either as a short form of Yesenia, a name made famous by a Mexican telenovela, or as a Latin American respelling of Leslie, "garden of hollies". Until recently it was very rare in the United States: Yesly ranked number 7997 in 2015 and number 3079 in 2024 before jumping to number 1795 in 2025, its highest rank so far.