Total births
264
Boys' name · since 1926
Wessley
264 babies named Wessley in U.S. Social Security records since 1926, with the highest year being 1978. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- 264
- total births
- 1926–2022
- years on record
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 27%
- born in that decade
Wessley is not among the current top-ranked boys names; 264 have been recorded since 1926.
Wessley has 264 recorded births among boys since 1926, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1926 to 2022.
- 264 total births
- 1926–2022 years on record
- 1980s peak decade
- 27% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
264 boys have been named Wessley since 1926, peaking in the 1980s, last recorded in 2022.
- 264
- total births
- 1926–2022
- years on record
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 27%
- born in that decade
1980s
Peak decade
27% of everyone ever named Wessley was born in this single decade.
1978
Single peak year
11 babies were named Wessley in 1978 - its busiest year on record.
Wessley's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Wessley's full recorded timeline at 1991, 49% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 51% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1926, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1978 peak of 11 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Wessley at a glance
Last recorded 2022Peak year
1978
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1926
Wessley popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1926–2022
- Peak year (1978)
- 11
- Annual births at peak, across 97 years of records
Wessley by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Wessley's strongest decade.
70 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Wessley births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 5
1920s
5 births
- 1930s 5
1930s
5 births
- 1940s 5
1940s
5 births
- 1960s 17
1960s
17 births
- 1970s 23
1970s
23 births
- 1980s
1980s
70 births
- 1990s
1990s
64 births
- 2000s
2000s
52 births
- 2010s 16
2010s
16 births
- 2020s 7
2020s
7 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 70 births (27% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Wessley? ▼
264 babies have been named Wessley since 1926. It was last recorded in 2022. The peak year was 1978 with 11 births.
When was Wessley most popular? ▼
Wessley was most popular in the 1980s decade with 70 total births. The single peak year was 1978.
How long has the name Wessley been used? ▼
Wessley has been recorded in Social Security data since 1926, spanning 97 years of data through 2022.
What names are similar to Wessley? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Wesley, Weston, Westley, Westin, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Wessley's data
- Wessley's decade-level peak was the 1980s (70 total births); usage has since declined to 7 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Wessley
Nearby Names Like Wessley
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Wessley
Wesley Boy
#58 247,713 births
Weston Boy
#70 75,907 births
Westley Boy
#656 10,119 births
Westin Boy
#727 7,414 births
Wes Boy
#743 6,786 births
Compare Wessley side by side: Wessley vs Wesley Wessley vs Weston Wessley vs Westley
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1926–2022 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Wessley: Baby Name Since 1926 - 264 Births, Peak 1978." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/wessley. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Wessley draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.