From an Old English surname meaning 'priest's meadow'.
Presley began as an English surname, most likely from Old English elements meaning “priest” and “woodland clearing” or “meadow,” so its oldest sense is something like “the priest’s clearing.” Like many surname-names, it moved gradually from the family tree into the nursery. For centuries it would have sounded strictly like a last name, tied to place and lineage more than personal style, but its crisp rhythm and ending in “-ley” helped it adapt easily into modern given-name fashion.
Its cultural turning point is impossible to miss: Elvis Presley made the surname one of the most recognizable in the world. That association gave Presley a strong dose of Americana, rock-and-roll glamour, and celebrity electricity. As a first name, it rose much later, especially in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, when English-speaking parents embraced surnames like Riley, Kennedy, and Delaney as stylish given names.
Presley has since become a unisex choice, though in recent decades it has often leaned feminine in the United States. The name now carries an interesting mix of meanings: a faintly ecclesiastical old English origin, a modern Southern-and-country polish, and the unmistakable echo of musical fame. It feels contemporary, but its story runs from medieval landscape language to the neon-lit mythology of pop culture.