Bradley
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- BRAD-lee
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #340 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #403 for boys
Bradley is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “broad clearing”. In 2025 it ranked 340th for boys in the UK (141 babies) and 403rd for boys in the US (794 babies).
What does Bradley mean?
English: place name and surname
“broad clearing”
More on Wiktionary.
Is Bradley a girl's or a boy's name?
Bradley is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 141 boys in the UK and 36 girls and 794 boys in the US.
How popular is Bradley in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #340among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 141about 1 in 2,100 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 47% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 141 boys in the UK were named Bradley, making it the 340th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 269th. Its busiest year was 1997, with 2,844 boys.
Half of all the boys named Bradley in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2007. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Among boys in 2025, it was 352nd in England and Wales, 253rd in Scotland and 270th in Northern Ireland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1984 (#92), 1994 (#34) and 2004 (#42).
Bradley in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 141 | #340 |
| 2024 | 138 | #352 |
| 2023 | 136 | #353 |
| 2022 | 155 | #326 |
| 2021 | 213 | #258 |
| 2020 | 193 | #269 |
| 2019 | 275 | #211 |
| 2018 | 309 | #191 |
| 2017 | 358 | #172 |
| 2016 | 435 | #155 |
| 2015 | 455 | #146 |
| 2014 | 540 | #131 |
| 2013 | 556 | #126 |
| 2012 | 678 | #106 |
| 2011 | 657 | #111 |
| 2010 | 694 | #105 |
| 2009 | 769 | #96 |
| 2008 | 909 | #90 |
| 2007 | 1,169 | #70 |
| 2006 | 1,505 | #54 |
| 2005 | 1,740 | #42 |
| 2004 | 1,752 | #42 |
| 2003 | 1,659 | #45 |
| 2002 | 1,862 | #41 |
| 2001 | 2,008 | #40 |
| 2000 | 2,366 | #36 |
| 1999 | 2,435 | #35 |
| 1998 | 2,580 | #35 |
| 1997 | 2,844 | #33 |
| 1996 | 2,619 | #33 |
How popular is Bradley in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #403among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 794about 1 in 2,200 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 37% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 794 boys in the US were named Bradley, making it the 403rd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 273rd. Its busiest year was 1980, with 7,210 boys. 36 girls were also named Bradley in 2025 (3,974th for girls).
2025 had fewer boys named Bradley than any year since 1946.
Half of all the boys named Bradley in the US since 1880 were born between 1968 and 1993, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 828 boys in the US were given Bradley or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #399, up from #403 for this spelling alone.
Bradley in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 794 | #403 |
| 2024 | 910 | #362 |
| 2023 | 908 | #359 |
| 2022 | 952 | #345 |
| 2021 | 1,074 | #313 |
| 2020 | 1,237 | #273 |
| 2019 | 1,443 | #253 |
| 2018 | 1,496 | #247 |
| 2017 | 1,649 | #230 |
| 2016 | 2,054 | #197 |
| 2015 | 2,402 | #173 |
| 2014 | 2,330 | #183 |
| 2013 | 2,330 | #176 |
| 2012 | 2,300 | #169 |
| 2011 | 2,161 | #177 |
| 2010 | 1,995 | #185 |
| 2009 | 1,951 | #196 |
| 2008 | 1,953 | #201 |
| 2007 | 2,075 | #194 |
| 2006 | 2,137 | #188 |
| 2005 | 2,409 | #173 |
| 2004 | 2,308 | #176 |
| 2003 | 2,394 | #165 |
| 2002 | 2,645 | #149 |
| 2001 | 2,729 | #145 |
| 2000 | 3,017 | #131 |
| 1999 | 3,576 | #104 |
| 1998 | 3,795 | #101 |
| 1997 | 4,124 | #94 |
| 1996 | 4,755 | #83 |
| 1995 | 4,764 | #78 |
| 1994 | 4,678 | #83 |
| 1993 | 5,136 | #73 |
| 1992 | 5,098 | #72 |
| 1991 | 5,723 | #67 |
| 1990 | 6,437 | #65 |
| 1989 | 6,977 | #58 |
| 1988 | 7,017 | #57 |
| 1987 | 6,918 | #56 |
| 1986 | 7,044 | #54 |
| 1985 | 7,011 | #53 |
| 1984 | 6,567 | #53 |
| 1983 | 6,738 | #52 |
| 1982 | 6,975 | #51 |
| 1981 | 6,895 | #50 |
| 1980 | 7,210 | #51 |
| 1979 | 6,923 | #47 |
| 1978 | 6,096 | #53 |
| 1977 | 6,431 | #49 |
| 1976 | 5,976 | #51 |
| 1975 | 5,894 | #52 |
| 1974 | 5,173 | #58 |
| 1973 | 4,748 | #62 |
| 1972 | 4,839 | #61 |
| 1971 | 5,780 | #58 |
| 1970 | 6,818 | #47 |
| 1969 | 6,389 | #53 |
| 1968 | 4,804 | #57 |
| 1967 | 4,342 | #66 |
| 1966 | 4,555 | #68 |
| 1965 | 4,787 | #72 |
| 1964 | 4,960 | #77 |
| 1963 | 4,765 | #82 |
| 1962 | 4,637 | #87 |
| 1961 | 4,745 | #87 |
| 1960 | 4,746 | #90 |
| 1959 | 4,052 | #103 |
| 1958 | 3,734 | #108 |
| 1957 | 3,528 | #107 |
| 1956 | 3,519 | #103 |
| 1955 | 3,183 | #107 |
| 1954 | 3,240 | #106 |
| 1953 | 2,764 | #118 |
| 1952 | 2,045 | #141 |
| 1951 | 1,810 | #146 |
| 1950 | 1,632 | #152 |
| 1949 | 1,311 | #174 |
| 1948 | 1,029 | #192 |
| 1947 | 830 | #221 |
| 1946 | 561 | #270 |
| 1945 | 310 | #339 |
| 1944 | 307 | #341 |
| 1943 | 329 | #339 |
| 1942 | 342 | #327 |
| 1941 | 286 | #343 |
| 1940 | 227 | #379 |
| 1939 | 206 | #395 |
| 1938 | 207 | #396 |
| 1937 | 216 | #376 |
| 1936 | 215 | #373 |
| 1935 | 237 | #356 |
| 1934 | 166 | #437 |
| 1933 | 160 | #436 |
| 1932 | 140 | #484 |
| 1931 | 161 | #444 |
| 1930 | 122 | #540 |
| 1929 | 110 | #564 |
| 1928 | 110 | #588 |
| 1927 | 91 | #668 |
| 1926 | 81 | #709 |
| 1925 | 79 | #730 |
| 1924 | 86 | #710 |
| 1923 | 80 | #729 |
| 1922 | 86 | #702 |
| 1921 | 64 | #868 |
| 1920 | 86 | #691 |
| 1919 | 53 | #918 |
| 1918 | 81 | #700 |
| 1917 | 49 | #909 |
| 1916 | 70 | #715 |
| 1915 | 66 | #734 |
| 1914 | 44 | #795 |
| 1913 | 42 | #711 |
| 1912 | 36 | #713 |
| 1911 | 21 | #689 |
| 1910 | 17 | #729 |
| 1909 | 19 | #615 |
| 1908 | 18 | #613 |
| 1907 | 14 | #699 |
| 1906 | 12 | #709 |
| 1905 | 9 | #836 |
| 1904 | 15 | #587 |
| 1903 | 6 | #1,009 |
| 1902 | 9 | #793 |
| 1901 | 11 | #637 |
| 1900 | 15 | #648 |
| 1899 | 8 | #786 |
| 1898 | 15 | #543 |
| 1897 | 16 | #495 |
| 1896 | 24 | #400 |
| 1895 | 26 | #368 |
| 1894 | 9 | #729 |
| 1893 | 6 | #906 |
| 1892 | 0 | – |
| 1891 | 5 | #962 |
| 1890 | 9 | #667 |
| 1889 | 0 | – |
| 1888 | 0 | – |
| 1887 | 5 | #921 |
| 1886 | 0 | – |
| 1885 | 9 | #641 |
| 1884 | 0 | – |
| 1883 | 8 | #677 |
| 1882 | 5 | #942 |
| 1881 | 10 | #563 |
| 1880 | 5 | #909 |
Nicknames for Bradley
Names like Bradley
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Ryan Bailey Billy Aaron Corey Casey Connor Daniel Nathan Declan Dylan Matthew
Other spellings of Bradley
More English names
Lily Evelyn Hudson Ivy Harper Grace Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Riley Oakley Mason Cooper Ruby Hallie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Bradley: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/bradley, updated 20 October 2026.