Berkley
Berkley was the 888th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 301 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 798th with 354 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 191 places. More babies were named Berkley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning birch clearing (variant of Berkeley) · English, Old English
Say it BURK-lee /ˈbɝkli/
- Rank in 2025
- #888 girls, down 66 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 301girls
- Girls and boys
- 91% girls, 9% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2021354 babies
- Total since 1880
- 7,712babies recorded
What does the name Berkley mean?
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)
Berkley popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #888 | #3,453 | 301 | 33 |
| 2020 | #822 | #2,551 | 331 | 50 |
| 2010 | #1,245 | #3,248 | 193 | 34 |
| 2000 | #3,600 | #5,611 | 36 | 12 |
| 1990 | #8,568 | #5,886 | 9 | 8 |
| 1980 | #10,548 | #3,873 | 5 | 10 |
| 1970 | — | #2,406 | — | 15 |
| 1960 | — | #2,217 | — | 14 |
| 1950 | — | #1,539 | — | 23 |
| 1940 | — | #1,437 | — | 22 |
| 1930 | — | #1,284 | — | 31 |
| 1920 | — | #1,508 | — | 25 |
| 1910 | — | #1,613 | — | 5 |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Berkley, counting every spelling?
Berkley is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #656 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #888 for Berkley 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 Berkley?
301 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Berkley (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Berkley 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 28 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Berkley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Berkley?
About 5,500 people born in the US named Berkley are alive today, with a median age of 10; half are between 5 and 16. That makes Berkley 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.
Berkley by state
How common Berkley was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Nebraska (7.9×), South Dakota (7.0×), Iowa (5.5×), Utah (4.0×), Kansas (3.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in California, New York, Maryland.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Berkley: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Berkley, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Berkley · Sibling names for Berkley
Questions about the name Berkley
What does Berkley mean?
Berkley means “birch clearing (variant of Berkeley)” (English, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Berkley?
Berkley was the 888th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 301 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 798th with 354 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 191 places. More babies were named Berkley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Berkley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 91% girls, 9% boys given the name Berkley in the US.
Where is Berkley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Berkley was most common in Nebraska (1.59 per 1,000 girls), followed by South Dakota and Iowa.