Curley /cur-ley/ [2 sylls.] as a boys' name is of Old English origin, and the meaning of Curley is  strong man. Related to Charles, via Anglo-Saxon ceorl, or churl.harted below is the birth name popularity of Curley for boys. Curley was first listed in 1890-1899 and reached its highest rank of #959 in the U.S. then, but is not found in the list currently. (Top 1000 Birth Names Records, 2014).