Berkeley
Berkeley was the 2490th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 71 babies. Its best year was 2017, when it ranked 1763rd with 119 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 605 places. More babies were named Berkeley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Berkley) birch clearing (variant of Berkeley) · English, Old English
- Rank in 2025
- #2,490 girls, down 581 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 71girls
- Girls and boys
- 88% girls, 12% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2017119 babies
- Total since 1880
- 2,973babies recorded
What does the name Berkeley mean?
Berkeley is a spelling of Berkley, pronounced the same way, so it shares Berkley's meaning and origin.
Berkley is a spelling of Berkeley, an English surname taken from place names such as Berkeley in Gloucestershire and Berkley in Somerset. The place names come from Old English beorc 'birch tree' and lēah 'woodland clearing', so 'birch clearing'. The Berkeley family were barons and earls, and the city of Berkeley, California, was named after the philosopher George Berkeley. In the US it has moved from a boys' name to a mainly girls' name.
beorc (Old English, “birch tree”)lēah (Old English, “woodland clearing”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Berkeley, Berklee, Barkley.
See also: English names, names that mean tree, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Berkley', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Berkeley', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Berkeley popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,490 | #7,743 | 71 | 10 |
| 2020 | #1,909 | #7,588 | 100 | 10 |
| 2010 | #2,455 | #6,734 | 76 | 12 |
| 2000 | #5,169 | #7,514 | 22 | 8 |
| 1990 | #9,340 | — | 8 | — |
| 1980 | — | — | — | — |
| 1970 | — | #3,878 | — | 7 |
| 1960 | — | #3,695 | — | 6 |
| 1950 | — | #3,734 | — | 5 |
| 1940 | — | #2,901 | — | 7 |
| 1930 | — | #2,797 | — | 9 |
| 1920 | — | #2,472 | — | 12 |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Berkeley, counting every spelling?
Berkeley is a spelling of Berkley, a name family that ranked #656 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,490 for Berkeley on its own. Together these spellings went to 439 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkley | 301 | #888 | 1,629 |
| Berkeley | 71 | #2,490 | 397 |
| Berklee | 51 | #3,135 | 317 |
| Burkley | 5 | #15,352 | 46 |
| Berklie | 11 | #8,954 | 43 |
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 Berkeley?
71 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Berkeley (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Berkeley 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 118 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Berkeley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Berkeley?
About 2,000 people born in the US named Berkeley are alive today, with a median age of 11; half are between 7 and 18. That makes Berkeley a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Berkeley by state
How common Berkeley was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 43 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Berkeley: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Berkeley, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Berkeley
What does Berkeley mean?
Berkeley is a spelling of Berkley, which means “birch clearing (variant of Berkeley)” (English, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Berkeley?
Berkeley was the 2490th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 71 babies. Its best year was 2017, when it ranked 1763rd with 119 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 605 places. More babies were named Berkeley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Berkeley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 88% girls, 12% boys given the name Berkeley in the US.
Where is Berkeley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Berkeley was most common in Kansas (0.10 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and Georgia.