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Hadley

Girl / Boy name · 50 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Hadley: 50 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to both boys and girls, peaking at 7 births in 2022.

Hadley began as an English surname, drawn from a place name meaning "heather-covered clearing" – from Old English *hæð* (heath/heather) and *lēah* (woodland clearing). Its most famous historical bearer was Hadley Richardson, the first wife of author Ernest Hemingway, though the name gained modern recognition through actress Hadley Fraser and the character Hadley from Pixar’s *Cars*. The surname inspired Hadley, Massachusetts, founded in 1661 and named after English town Hadleigh in Suffolk, which shares the same etymological root. Though traditionally masculine, Hadley has surged in Scotland as a unisex given name since the 1990s, mirroring a broader trend of surname-style first names. Its heathery origin gives it a subtle nod to the Scottish landscape.