From Old English meaning 'crafty' or 'well-watered meadow,' also a Scottish surname.
Wylie is a surname-style given name with roots in the British Isles, especially Scotland and northern England. It is generally linked to place names and family names such as Wylie, Wyllie, and Wiley, probably deriving from words connected to “crafty,” “cunning,” or “wily,” though in some cases it may also reflect geographic origins from places named for winding or hilly terrain. As with many surnames that became first names, Wylie carries a sense of lineage and local history more than a single tidy definition.
That layered origin gives it a lean, brisk, distinctly Anglo-Scottish character. Historically, Wylie appears more often in records as a family name than a first name, and that is part of its style. It belongs to the same naming tradition that turned surnames into given names to honor ancestry or family ties.
One notable bearer of the surname is the American publisher and literary agent Andrew Wylie, whose prominence helped keep the name visible, though as a surname rather than a baby name. As a first name, Wylie has also fit comfortably into frontier, rural, and Southern naming patterns in the United States, where surname names often signal heritage and individuality. Its modern perception has shifted from old-family surname to distinctive unisex-leaning given name, though it is still more often masculine in usage.
Wylie feels informal, outdoorsy, and a little clever, perhaps helped by the echo of the adjective “wily.” That association can make it sound quick-minded rather than severe. While never a mainstream staple, it has the appeal of many revived surname names: familiar enough to pronounce, uncommon enough to stand out, and rooted enough to feel substantial.