Aubrey
Aubrey was the 146th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,003 babies. Its best year was 2012, when it ranked 15th with 8,061 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 125 places. More babies were named Aubrey in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning elf ruler · Germanic, French
Say it AW-bree /ˈɔbri/
- Rank in 2025
- #146 girls, down 90 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,003girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20128,061 babies
- Total since 1880
- 164,605babies recorded
What does the name Aubrey mean?
Aubrey is the Norman French form of the Germanic name Alberich. Wiktionary derives Alberich from Proto-Germanic elements meaning 'elf' and 'ruler, king', and Wiktionary lists German Alberich and Italian Alberico as related forms. The Normans brought the name to England, where it was used for both men and women in the Middle Ages, as Wikipedia notes, before surviving mainly as a surname. Wikipedia connects its rise as a girl's name in the US to the 1973 song 'Aubrey' by the band Bread, and perhaps to its likeness to Audrey.
*albiz (Proto-Germanic, “elf”)*rīks (Proto-Germanic, “ruler, king”)
How sure is this? Probable.
Related names: Aubree, Aubrie, Alberich, Auberon, Oberon, Audrey.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean king or queen.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Aubrey', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Aubrey', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Aubrey
The usual nicknames for Aubrey are Bree. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Aubrey in the last five years, 3 were named Bree, against 10 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bree · also for Brianna, Breanna | Modern | #2,826 | 432 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Aubreys go by each one.
Aubrey popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #146 | #2,093 | 2,003 | 70 |
| 2020 | #56 | #1,271 | 3,921 | 144 |
| 2010 | #45 | #1,232 | 5,367 | 143 |
| 2000 | #223 | #845 | 1,410 | 189 |
| 1990 | #298 | #713 | 936 | 203 |
| 1980 | #446 | #655 | 480 | 176 |
| 1970 | #4,513 | #568 | 12 | 204 |
| 1960 | #3,523 | #477 | 13 | 275 |
| 1950 | #3,439 | #394 | 10 | 293 |
| 1940 | #2,115 | #296 | 15 | 354 |
| 1930 | #1,461 | #287 | 28 | 392 |
| 1920 | #2,018 | #252 | 19 | 478 |
| 1910 | #1,644 | #228 | 9 | 105 |
| 1900 | #1,958 | #259 | 5 | 62 |
| 1890 | — | #392 | — | 21 |
| 1880 | — | #374 | — | 21 |
How popular is Aubrey, counting every spelling?
Aubrey is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #112 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #146 for Aubrey on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,847 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aubrey | 2,003 | #146 | 13,314 |
| Aubree | 606 | #489 | 5,266 |
| Aubrie | 163 | #1,353 | 1,323 |
| Aubri | 63 | #2,722 | 549 |
| Aubry | 12 | #8,427 | 101 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Aubrey?
2,003 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Aubrey (0.56 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Aubrey born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 4 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Aubrey.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Aubrey?
About 131,400 people born in the US named Aubrey are alive today, with a median age of 14; half are between 10 and 20. That makes Aubrey mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Aubrey by state
How common Aubrey was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Delaware (2.6×), West Virginia (2.6×), New Hampshire (2.3×), Hawaii (2.2×), Mississippi (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Utah, Washington, New York.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Aubrey: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Aubrey, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Aubrey · Sibling names for Aubrey
Questions about the name Aubrey
What does Aubrey mean?
Aubrey means “elf ruler” (Germanic, French origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Aubrey?
Aubrey was the 146th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,003 babies. Its best year was 2012, when it ranked 15th with 8,061 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 125 places. More babies were named Aubrey in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Aubrey a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Aubrey in the US.
Where is Aubrey most popular?
In 2021–2025, Aubrey was most common in Delaware (4.32 per 1,000 girls), followed by West Virginia and Wyoming.