Stanley
Meaning and origin
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name transferred from the surname, popular in the early 20th century. From places in England, Old English stān (“stone”) + lēah (“meadow”). Equivalent to stone + -ley (“lea”). * The given name has also been used as an anglicisation of Stanisław, Stanislav and related names. The coastal town in Hong Kong is named after Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby.
Source: Wiktionary, English entry for Stanley (CC BY-SA 4.0). This is the origin of the name in English; families in Sweden may have taken it from another language.
Popularity in Sweden
Few babies have been given the name since 1998; it belongs mostly to older generations. The figures are for this exact spelling; other spellings of the name are counted on their own.
Years with fewer than two babies (fewer than ten before 2004) show as zero in the chart and as – in the table.
Show the figures
| Year | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1998 | – |
| 1999 | – |
| 2000 | – |
| 2001 | – |
| 2002 | – |
| 2003 | – |
| 2004 | – |
| 2005 | 2 |
| 2006 | – |
| 2007 | 2 |
| 2008 | – |
| 2009 | – |
| 2010 | 2 |
| 2011 | – |
| 2012 | – |
| 2013 | 3 |
| 2014 | 3 |
| 2015 | – |
| 2016 | – |
| 2017 | – |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | – |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | – |
| 2022 | 2 |
Everyone registered in Sweden on 31 December with this as the first name they use.
Show the figures
| Year | Men and boys |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 315 |
| 2000 | 315 |
| 2001 | 310 |
| 2002 | 307 |
| 2003 | 304 |
| 2004 | 305 |
| 2005 | 304 |
| 2006 | 301 |
| 2007 | 302 |
| 2008 | 304 |
| 2009 | 308 |
| 2010 | 312 |
| 2011 | 307 |
| 2012 | 306 |
| 2013 | 303 |
| 2014 | 309 |
| 2015 | 301 |
| 2016 | 299 |
| 2017 | 297 |
| 2018 | 299 |
| 2019 | 300 |
| 2020 | 302 |
Stanley in a sentence
- Hej! Jag heter Stanley.Hi! My name is Stanley.
- Stanley ringde och sa att han blir lite sen.Stanley called and said he'll be a bit late.
- Jag ska fika med Stanley i eftermiddag.I'm having coffee with Stanley this afternoon.
- Stanleys mamma är lärare.Stanley's mum is a teacher.
Swedish shows possession with a plain -s and no apostrophe: Stanleys mamma is Stanley's mum.
More names
Questions about Stanley
How do you pronounce Stanley in Swedish?
Press Listen at the top of the page to hear Stanley in your device's Swedish voice.
What does the name Stanley mean?
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name transferred from the surname, popular in the early 20th century. From places in England, Old English stān (“stone”) + lēah (“meadow”). Equivalent to stone + -ley (“lea”). * The given name has also been used as an anglicisation of Stanisław, Stanislav and related names. The coastal town in Hong Kong is named after Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby.
How popular is Stanley in Sweden?
2 babies were named Stanley in 2022. In 2020, 302 people in Sweden had Stanley as the first name they go by.
Popularity figures: Statistics Sweden (SCB), name statistics (BE0001) from the Statistical Database, released as open data under CC0. Each spelling is counted as its own name, as SCB does. SCB's open name statistics end with babies named in 2022 and the population on 31 December 2020; SCB stopped producing name statistics in 2024 and now points to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) for newer figures.
Origins, IPA and recordings: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), via kaikki.org; recordings from Lingua Libre on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). Lingolib is not affiliated with SCB or Wiktionary. Sources last checked 7 October 2026.