Stanley

Meaning: Stony clearing
Origin: English surname

Nicknames: Stan

Boy's name · #863 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Popularity over time

Stanley is an heirloom: its strongest era came around 1915, when it ranked #34. It has thinned since but never left the records — about 301,000 boys since 1880, ranked #863 today. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Stanley is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 29 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Stanley ranks in other countries and regions.

#97 in England & Wales (2025) · #343 in New Zealand (2025) · #395 in N. Ireland (2025) · #400 in Scotland (2025) · #577 in Ireland (2025) · #614 in Canada (2025) · #1,081 in France (2025) · #1,599 in Ecuador (2025) · #2,144 in Sweden (2025) · #926 in Poland (2024) · #4,885 in Italy (2022) · #1,023 in Netherlands (2021) and 3 more.

Famous Stanleys

Stanley Kubrick — American filmmaker and photographer (1928–1999)
Stanley Baldwin — British statesman (1867–1947)
Stanley Tucci — American actor and author (born 1960)
Stanley Cohen — American biochemist (1922–2020)
Stanley B. Prusiner — American neurologist and chemist (born 1942)
Stanley Matthews — English footballer (1915–2000)
Stanley Donen — American film director and choreographer (1924–2019)
Stanley Kramer — American film director and producer (1913–2001)
Stanley Rous — 6th President of FIFA (1895–1986)
Stanley Milgram — American social psychologist (1933–1984)

In stories & tradition

Stanley (Stan Marsh) — Fictional character in the animated television series South Park
Stanley Kowalski — A Streetcar Named Desire (book)
Stanley Hudson — The Office (TV series)

What Stanleys become

Among 1,820 notable people named Stanley:

Business leaders appear 1.55× more often than among typical names — e.g. Stanley Ho, Macau businessman (1921–2020).

Similar names: Harold · Steve · Willie · Ralph · Howard · Harry

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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