Bradley
Meaningbroad clearing · Old English
- US rank
- #403
- Syllables
- 2
- Peak
- #47 in 1979
794 babies were named Bradley in the US in 2025. It has dropped 130 places in five years.
Found on lists
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million girls, 1920–2025
US births per million boys, 1880–2025
Most popular states (2025)
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Bradley you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Bradley
Bradley Cooper
American actor and filmmaker (born 1975)
Choose Bradley and your child shares a first name with Bradley Cooper, an American actor and filmmaker. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Bradley, like who?” Bradley Cooper's Wikipedia article is available in 135 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Bradley Cooper on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: Raph_PH, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 2,151 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Bradley, 794 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Bradley would very likely be the only one.
- HistoryBradley has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Bradleys, and counting.
- Best yearIt was far more popular in 1979, when it ranked #47. Today it's #403, so it could be due a comeback.
- Then vs nowBradley was 3.3× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 651 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 2,151.
- TrendBradley has slipped 130 places over the last five years and now sits at #403. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
- Where it's lovedBradley is most popular in Maine, where it ranks #172, followed by Tennessee (#259) and New Jersey (#279). It's in the top 1,000 in 37 states.
- MeaningIn Old English, Bradley means “broad clearing”.
About the name Bradley
Bradley is a boy name of English origin meaning “broad clearing”. It has 7 letters and 2 syllables, starting with B and ending in “-ley”. US birth records list Bradley for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 141 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1979, when it ranked #47 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #403, with 794 babies.
Origin:English names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 0.5 | 2,000,000 girls |
| 1940s | 0.6 | 1,587,302 girls |
| 1950s | 2.8 | 355,872 girls |
| 1960s | 8.2 | 121,655 girls |
| 1970s | 19 | 52,549 girls |
| 1980s | 25 | 39,888 girls |
| 1990s | 11 | 92,851 girls |
| 2000s | 7.5 | 132,802 girls |
| 2010s | 21 | 46,512 girls |
| 2020s | 31 | 32,154 girls |
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 40 | 25,132 boys |
| 1890s | 102 | 9,772 boys |
| 1900s | 93 | 10,755 boys |
| 1910s | 76 | 13,219 boys |
| 1920s | 79 | 12,612 boys |
| 1930s | 173 | 5,772 boys |
| 1940s | 349 | 2,868 boys |
| 1950s | 1,442 | 694 boys |
| 1960s | 2,549 | 392 boys |
| 1970s | 3,549 | 282 boys |
| 1980s | 3,761 | 266 boys |
| 1990s | 2,461 | 406 boys |
| 2000s | 1,186 | 843 boys |
| 2010s | 1,069 | 936 boys |
| 2020s | 567 | 1,765 boys |
More English boy names
- Boy name: Oliver · olive tree
- Boy name: Henry · ruler of the home
- Unisex name: James · supplanter
- Boy name: William · resolute protector
- Boy name: Benjamin · son of the right hand
- Boy name: Jack · God is gracious
- Unisex name: Hudson · son of Hudde
- Unisex name: Julian · of the Julius family
Questions about the name Bradley
What does the name Bradley mean?
Bradley means “broad clearing” in Old English.
What is the origin of the name Bradley?
Bradley has English roots in our records. Other English names include Oliver, Henry, James.
Is Bradley a boy or girl name?
Bradley is a boy name, though a few girls get it too.
How popular is the name Bradley?
Bradley ranked #403 for US boys in 2025, given to 794 babies. Its best year was 1979 (#47).