How popular is the baby name Hayley in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, check out all the blog posts that mention the name Hayley.
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The baby name Halley debuted because of a comet, but the similar name Hayley debuted thanks to a Disney film.
Which one? Pollyanna (1960), an adaptation of the book Pollyanna (1913). The movie starred teenage English actress Hayley Mills, who ended up winning an honorary Oscar for the role.
Here’s how the film affected the usage of they baby name Hayley in the U.S.:
1963: 71 baby girls named Hayley
1962: 46 baby girls named Hayley
1961: 18 baby girls named Hayley
1960: 9 baby girls named Hayley [debut]
1959: unlisted
1958: unlisted
Mills’ full name is Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills. The name “Hayley” had been passed down for several generations in her family. (Her mother, also an actress, was Mary Hayley Bell.)
Here are hundreds of baby names that have a numerological value of “4.”
I’ve sub-categorized them by overall totals, because I think that some of the intermediate numbers could have special significance to people as well.
Within each group, I’ve listed up to ten of the most popular “4” names per gender (according to the current U.S. rankings).
Beneath all the names are some ways you could interpret the numerological value of “4,” including descriptions from two different numerological systems.
4 via 13
The following baby names add up to 13, which reduces to four (1+3=4).
“13” girl names: Cai, Eh, Ece, Gea
“13” boy names: Cade, Cai, Al, Eh, Cj, Jc, Dace, La
4 via 22
The following baby names add up to 22, which reduces to four (2+2=4).
The boy name Marquavious adds up to 157, which reduces to four (1+5+7=13; 1+3=4).
4 via 166
The boy name Muhammadyusuf adds up to 166, which reduces to four (1+6+6=13; 1+3=4).
4 via 175
The unisex names Kosisochukwu adds up to 175, which reduces to four (1+7+5=13; 1+3=4).
What Does “4” Mean?
First, we’ll look at the significance assigned to “4” by two different numerological sources. Second, and more importantly, ask yourself if “4” or any of the intermediate numbers above have any special significance to you.
Numerological Attributes
“4” (the tetrad) according to the Pythagoreans:
“Anatolius reports that it is called ‘justice,’ since the square (i.e., the area) […] is equal to the perimeter”
“It is the prerequisite of the general orderliness of the universe, so they everywhere called it a ‘custodian of Nature.'”
“Everything in the universe turns out to be completed in the natural progression up to the tetrad”
“The tetrad is the first to display the nature of solidity: the sequence is point, line, plane, solid (i.e. body).”
Examples of things that are divided into four parts:
“four traditional seasons of the year — spring, summer, autumn and winter.”
“four elements (fire, air, water and earth)”
“four cardinal points”
“four distinguishing points – ascendant, descendant, mid-heaven and nadir”
“Some say that all things are organized by four aspects – substance, shape, form and principle.”
“4” according to Edgar Cayce:
“In four, it makes for the greater weaknesses in the divisions…four being more of a division and weakness” (reading 261-15).
“In four, we find that of a division – and while a beauty in strength, in the divisions also makes for the greater weakness” (reading 5751-1).
Personal/Cultural Significance
Does “4” — or do any of the other numbers above (e.g., 22, 49, 76, 103) — have any special significance to you?
Think about your own preferences and personal experiences: lucky numbers, birth dates, music, sports, and so on. Maybe your favorite football team is the San Francisco 49ers, for example.
Also think about associations you may have picked up from your culture, your religion, or society in general.
If you have any interesting insights about the number 4, or any of the other numbers above, please leave a comment!
Source: Theologumena Arithmeticae, attributed to Iamblichus (c.250-c.330).
In 1705, English astronomer Edmond Halley theorized that three historical comets that had appeared in 1531, 1607, and 1682 were actually the same comet returning over and over again. He calculated that the comet would return yet again in 1758.
And he was correct! The comet reappeared in 1758, just as Halley had predicted. So comet was named Halley in his honor in 1759.
Since then, Halley’s Comet has flown through the inner Milky Way three more times: in 1835, 1910 and 1986.
The U.S. Social Security Administration has been collecting baby name data since 1880, so let’s check out how the two most recent appearances have affected the usage of the baby name Halley…
Halley’s Comet in 1910
Halley appeared on the U.S. baby name data for the very first time, both for boys and for girls, in 1910. In fact, it was the top debut name for boys that year.
Boys named Halley
Girls named Halley
1912
6
.
1911
5
.
1910
12 [debut]
11 [debut]
1909
.
.
1908
.
.
The similar names Hallie and Haley also saw increased usage in 1910.
But the SSA data didn’t start reflecting real numbers until the ’30s. So I checked the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), which indicates that the total number of babies named Halley in 1910 was actually much higher:
1912: 15 people named Halley born
1911: 8 people named Halley born
1910: 119 people named Halley born
1909: 14 people named Halley born
1908: 3 people named Halley born
Some of the Halleys named specifically for the comet include:
Halley Comett Johnston, boy, born on April 13, 1910, to Jessie Johnston and Addie Webb of North Carolina.
Halley Reed Palmer, boy, born on May 10, 1910, to Mr. and Mrs. John Palmer of Milton, Oregon.
Halley Couch, boy, born on May 21, 1910, in Stockbridge, Wisconsin. (The night of his birth, “his father and older brother watched Halley’s Comet fly over their home. They were so impressed with the sight that they named the baby Halley.”)
I also found 1910 babies named Halie Comet Wood (boy), Estyr Halley Abrams (girl), Comet Halley Briggs (boy), and Aerial Comet Roath (boy).
Speaking of Comet…the SSDI data reveals that at least 10 people were named Comet in 1910, and that one of these 10 happened to have the surname Halley. Also born in 1910: a Comette, a Cometniss, a Cometa, and two Comettas.
Halley’s Comet in 1986
Usage of the baby name Halley (U.S.)
The name Halley was given another big boost by the comet in 1986:
Boys named Halley
Girls named Halley
1988
.
71
1987
.
69
1986
22 [peak]
333 [peak]
1985
10
146
1994
.
25
The name saw peak usage for both baby boys and baby girls that year. In fact, the surge in usage among girls bumped Halley well into the girls’ top 1,000 (with a rank of ranking of 580th!) for the first (and, so far, only) time. American parents of the ’80s clearly thought of Halley as more of a female name than a male name.
The only Halley-baby I noticed in the newspapers in 1986 was from Canada: Halley Marie Mullen, a baby girl born to Susan and Brendan Mullen of Ottawa on January 4.
It’s hard to know how much the comet’s return affected the usage of other spellings of the name (like Hailey and Hayley) because the entire name-group was starting to become trendy around that time. That said, the graphs for Hallie and Hali show that these particular variants saw a discernible increase usage in 1986, while, very interestingly, the graph for Haley reveals a dip in usage that year.
Halley’s Comet in 2061
Halley’s Comet is due back in mid-2061. Do you think we’ll see a spike in the number of babies named Halley that year? Why or why not?
P.S. Though many people pronounce Halley to rhyme with the word “daily,” the surname is traditionally pronounced to rhyme with the word “valley.”
A total of 4,143 babies were born in Malta in 2009. (In 2006, the number was 3,885.) These were the most popular baby names last year:
Girl Names
Maria/Mariah/Marie (82 babies)
Elena/Ylenia/Ella (79)
Christina/Kristina/Krista (63)
Eliza/Elizabeth/Lisa (52)
Amy/Aimee (49)
Julia/Gulia (45)
Maya/Maia (39)
Emma (39)
Martina (33)
Rihanna/Rhiana (32)
Jasmine/Yasmine (31)
Keira (29)
Mikela/Michaela (28)
Jade (27)
Hannah/Anna/Ann (26)
Nicole (25)
Mireille (25)
Hailey/Hayley (25)
Sarah/Sara (24)
Emilia (22)
Lea (22)
Thea (20)
Shania (18)
Katrina/Kate (18)
Amber (18)
Kailey/Kayleigh (18)
Faith (17)
Laura (17)
Boy Names
Luke/Luca (92 babies)
Matthew/Matthias/Matteo (84)
Jake (59)
Aiden (53)
Jaden/Jayden (51)
John/Giovanni/Jean (48)
Kaiden/Kayden (47)
Michael/Miguel/Mikele (46)
Nicholas/Nick (42)
Isaac/Izaak (39)
Nathan (38)
Liam/William (36)
Gabriel (36)
Benjamin/Ben (35)
Alexander/Alessandro/Alejandro (34)
Zachary/Zak (34)
James (33)
Daniel (33)
Denzel/Danzil (31)
Keiran (29)
Andre/Andrew/Andrea (26)
Sven (26)
Julian (25)
Kyle (24)
Joseph/Giuseppe/Beppe (24)
You’ll notice that Malta still lumps variants together. (They even lump non-variants like Elena and Ella together.) I’m not a big fan of this method because when groupings change from year to year, comparisons become impossible.
Malta also seems to have some issues with spelling. Aidan and Kieran became Aiden and Keiran between 2006 and 2009, for instance. And I wonder if “Gulia” wasn’t supposed to be spelled “Giulia.” (Though I do like the fact that there’s a “Julia/Gulia” grouping. Very Wedding Singer-esque.)
But it’s interesting stuff nonetheless. I’m especially intrigued by all the -ayden names on the boys’ list. (Worldwide phenomenon, anyone?)
If you want to see more from Malta, the top baby names of 2008, 2007, 2004/2005, 2003 and 2002 are available for download.
Are there any other spellings (e.g. Haileigh, Halie, Hayly) you like even better?
Update: The poll is closed now! The final tally was:
Hailey, 3608 votes
Haley, 2038
Hayley, 1793
Haylee, 785
Hailee, 733
Hayleigh, 566
Haleigh, 544
Haylie, 488
Hailie, 301
Haily, 92
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