Bradley
Bradley was the 403rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 794 babies. Its best year was 1970, when it ranked 47th; the most babies were born in 1980 (7,210). Over the last ten years it has moved down 230 places. More babies were named Bradley in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning broad clearing · Old English
Say it BRAD-lee /ˈbrædli/
- Rank in 2025
- #403 boys, down 130 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 794boys
- Girls and boys
- 5% girls, 95% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19807,210 babies
- Total since 1880
- 314,957babies recorded
What does the name Bradley mean?
Bradley is an English place name found in many counties, from Old English brād, "broad", and lēah, "wood, woodland clearing". Bardsley explains it as "the broad ley", a broad meadow, and lists parishes and hamlets of the name in several counties; the surname comes from these places. It became a common first name in the 20th century.
brād (Old English, “broad”)lēah (Old English, “wood, clearing, meadow”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Brad, Bradly, Lee.
See also: English names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Bradley', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (1901), s.v. 'Bradley', Henry Frowde (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
Nicknames for Bradley
The usual nicknames for Bradley are Brad. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Bradley in the last five years, 3 were named Brad, against 9 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brad · also for Bradford | Traditional | #4,267 | 146 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Bradleys go by each one.
Bradley popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,994 | #403 | 36 | 794 |
| 2020 | #3,346 | #273 | 46 | 1,237 |
| 2010 | #8,799 | #185 | 13 | 1,995 |
| 2000 | #5,978 | #131 | 18 | 3,017 |
| 1990 | #5,320 | #65 | 17 | 6,437 |
| 1980 | #2,017 | #51 | 52 | 7,210 |
| 1970 | #2,865 | #47 | 24 | 6,818 |
| 1960 | #5,220 | #90 | 7 | 4,746 |
| 1950 | #5,378 | #152 | 5 | 1,632 |
| 1940 | — | #380 | — | 227 |
| 1930 | — | #543 | — | 122 |
| 1920 | #4,459 | #692 | 6 | 86 |
| 1910 | — | #731 | — | 17 |
| 1900 | — | #651 | — | 15 |
| 1890 | — | #671 | — | 9 |
| 1880 | — | #931 | — | 5 |
How popular is Bradley, counting every spelling?
Bradley is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #393 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #403 for Bradley on its own. Together these spellings went to 828 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bradley | 794 | #403 | 4,638 |
| Bradlee | 24 | #4,268 | 130 |
| Bradly | 10 | #7,751 | 77 |
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 Bradley?
794 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Bradley (0.22 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Bradley 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 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Bradley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Bradley?
About 275,500 people born in the US named Bradley are alive today, with a median age of 43; half are between 31 and 55. That makes Bradley mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Bradley by state
How common Bradley was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in West Virginia (1.9×), Mississippi (1.8×), New Jersey (1.7×), Kentucky (1.6×), Florida (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nebraska, Idaho, North Dakota.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Bradley: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Bradley, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Bradley · Sibling names for Bradley
Questions about the name Bradley
What does Bradley mean?
Bradley means “broad clearing” (Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Bradley?
Bradley was the 403rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 794 babies. Its best year was 1970, when it ranked 47th; the most babies were born in 1980 (7,210). Over the last ten years it has moved down 230 places. More babies were named Bradley in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Bradley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 5% girls, 95% boys given the name Bradley in the US.
Where is Bradley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Bradley was most common in West Virginia (1.04 per 1,000 boys), followed by Maine and Mississippi.