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I hate Hayley because it sounds insubstantial to me. However, I like Haley on a boy because it's gentle.

I think it's cute. The first Hayley I met I thoroughly disliked (and I was young, she was a preschool classmate) so that's colored my perception of it a lot, but I don't think it's bad. I think Haley could work on a boy at some point, but not right now.

I sort of liked Hayley at one time as well in the late 80s/early 90s. I only cared for this spelling since it made sense to me due to the meaning. It's cute although I've heard it so much that it doesn't do a whole lot for me now. I never thought Hailey would be a thing and become the most common spelling.

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Re: Haley for a boy, yes, it can work. There's an actor named Haley Osment with the name. It's just that with the enormous popularity of the name for girls (of all spellings), I wouldn't go there.

This message was edited 5/18/2019, 10:00 AM

I actually like Haley for a boy but can’t see it being used any time soon. Hayley’s alright, it was the name of one of my childhood best friends so I’m biased!

I've always liked Hayley, and Hailey and Haley too. I think, way back, it might have worked for a boy, there is Haley Joel Osment and Haley Barbour, but that train done left the station.

I've always low-key liked Hallie, and I kind of hear Hayley / Hailey as a brattier or more high strung version of that.

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I like it more than some other names I hear as bratty, but...I don't really like it.

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It'd seem unusual for a boy, but it could work. I've known a male Hillary, and Haley doesn't strike me as more feminine than that.

Wow, I did not realize that Hayley wasn't the most common spelling. Haley was way more popular, and Hailey too - Hailey is still #79!

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I never cared for the hay part of Hayley, and the paired Ys. Reminds me of ... hay. And Haley reminds me of inhale/exhale, and seems cold. Hailey is alright, although, hail ... ice falling from the sky and all that. So, I don't really like the name very much. It's alright. Seems modest, even mediocre, and fairly warm and pleasant.

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I like Hallie more - any spelling of it is better than all spellings of Hayley. I don't like Haley for a boy, but it seems more surnamey on a guy, rather than seeming to be part of the huge *ley fashion for girls' names.

I don't like it - it sounds too surname-y and I can only imagine it on a little girl. I can't see it on a boy at all, since people would always assume he's female, and unlike names such as Evelyn or Ashley it has no history as a masculine name.

I like Haley but not enough to use. It is a bit dated, but everyone I've with a variation of this name was pretty nice. When I was a kid, I used to like a lot of old Hayley Mills movies, which probably contributed to my fondness for the name.

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The Hayley spelling is okay, but it makes me think more of hay than the alternative spellings. In some name books and sites (although not this one), Haley has a different meaning compared to Hayley.

Hi !!!

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Hayley is quite dumb to my ears. I don't have any specific link or famous bearer in my mind.

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I much prefer the similar name Shirley.

I think it sounds alright. It a bit dated and cutesy but I don't think there's anything really wrong with it. I actually used to dislike it, because years back we used to have this neighbor who had a kid named this (Hayley/Haley. Forget which spelling but I know it was one of those) and I just remember her being a brat most of the time. (Which never really surprised me given the fact of how she was being brought up and that her mother was well...trashy. As well as ignorant and lazy. She would basically leave her daughter unsupervised and unattended 90% of the time.
Hailey is my preferred spelling. I think it looks the nicest. And as for a boy's name, absolutely not. I still think actor Haley Joel Osment is rather unfortunate.

It does feel a bit dated now, but it has a very pretty sound, though I'm not massively keen on surnames or -ley names. I think Haley would be lovely on a boy, though I'm sure he'd be teased.