Sorley
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- SOR-lee
- Origin
- Old Norse
- UK rank, 2025
- #2,202 for boys
Big in Scotland
Sorley is a boys' name of Old Norse origin, meaning “summer traveller”. In 2025 it ranked 2,202nd for boys in the UK (11 babies).
What does Sorley mean?
Old Norse: via Scottish Gaelic Somhairle
“summer traveller”
The same name as Somerled, the 12th-century founder of the Lordship of the Isles.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Sorley a girl's or a boy's name?
Sorley is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 11 boys in the UK. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Sorley in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #2,202among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 11about 1 in 27,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 94% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 11 boys in the UK were named Sorley, making it the 2,202nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,819th. Its busiest year was 2024, with 12 boys.
Half of all the boys named Sorley in the UK since 1996 were born between 2009 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 316th in Scotland.
Sorley in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 11 | #2,202 |
| 2024 | 12 | #2,009 |
| 2023 | 8 | #2,691 |
| 2022 | 9 | #2,457 |
| 2021 | 10 | #2,257 |
| 2020 | 7 | #2,819 |
| 2019 | 2 | #6,181 |
| 2018 | 7 | #2,823 |
| 2017 | 8 | #2,656 |
| 2016 | 4 | #4,214 |
| 2015 | 5 | #3,527 |
| 2014 | 8 | #2,593 |
| 2013 | 5 | #3,466 |
| 2012 | 5 | #3,572 |
| 2011 | 2 | #6,146 |
| 2010 | 2 | #6,093 |
| 2009 | 1 | #6,016 |
| 2008 | 8 | #2,384 |
| 2007 | 5 | #3,231 |
| 2006 | 2 | #5,314 |
| 2005 | 5 | #2,885 |
| 2004 | 2 | #4,818 |
| 2003 | 3 | #3,593 |
| 2002 | 3 | #3,325 |
| 2001 | 2 | #4,101 |
| 2000 | 2 | #3,980 |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 3 | #3,021 |
Names like Sorley
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Oakley Finley Sonny Sidney Stanley Ronnie Brody Teddy Casey Cody Rowan Marley
More Old Norse names
Freya Ralph Eric Astrid Colby Rafe Odin Ralphie Erik Freyja Erick Bo Ronald Bjorn Erica Raife
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland) and Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Sorley: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/sorley, updated 20 October 2026.