# Bradley (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/bradley/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | English |
| Meaning | “broad”, “woodland” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɹædli/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Brad |
| Variant spellings | Bradly, Bradeley, Bradlee, Bradleigh, Bradlie, Broadley, Bradleya |
| US babies named this | 314,957 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 313,008 / 1,949 (1% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 30,349, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Ultimately from Old English brād (“broad”) + lēah (“woodland”). Equivalent to broad + -ley.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 15 | 7,859 |
| 2012 | 15 | 7,878 |
| 2013 | 30 | 4,668 |
| 2014 | 43 | 3,600 |
| 2015 | 51 | 3,218 |
| 2016 | 58 | 2,909 |
| 2017 | 49 | 3,255 |
| 2018 | 48 | 3,299 |
| 2019 | 53 | 3,050 |
| 2020 | 46 | 3,346 |
| 2021 | 58 | 2,897 |
| 2022 | 62 | 2,766 |
| 2023 | 49 | 3,283 |
| 2024 | 52 | 3,087 |
| 2025 | 36 | 3,994 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2,161 | 177 |
| 2012 | 2,300 | 169 |
| 2013 | 2,330 | 176 |
| 2014 | 2,330 | 183 |
| 2015 | 2,402 | 173 |
| 2016 | 2,054 | 197 |
| 2017 | 1,649 | 230 |
| 2018 | 1,496 | 247 |
| 2019 | 1,443 | 253 |
| 2020 | 1,237 | 273 |
| 2021 | 1,074 | 313 |
| 2022 | 952 | 345 |
| 2023 | 908 | 359 |
| 2024 | 910 | 362 |
| 2025 | 794 | 403 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 615 | 105 |
| 2012 | 619 | 102 |
| 2013 | 510 | 117 |
| 2014 | 470 | 130 |
| 2015 | 407 | 141 |
| 2016 | 388 | 151 |
| 2017 | 318 | 175 |
| 2018 | 269 | 196 |
| 2019 | 234 | 219 |
| 2020 | 167 | 280 |
| 2021 | 175 | 263 |
| 2022 | 127 | 340 |
| 2023 | 118 | 357 |
| 2024 | 119 | 364 |
| 2025 | 119 | 352 |

## People named Bradley

- Bradley Cooper, American actor and filmmaker (born 1975)
- Bradley Barcola, French footballer (born 2002)
- Bradley Wiggins, British former professional road and track racing cyclist
- Dee Bradley Baker, American voice actor (born 1962)
- Bradley Whitford, American actor (born 1959)
- Bradley James, British actor
- Bradley Steven Perry, American actor (born 1998)
- Bradley Beal, American basketball player (born 1993)
- Bradley McGee, Australian cyclist
- Bradley Joseph, American composer, pianist, keyboardist, arranger, producer, recording artist
- Bradley Johnson, English association football player (born 1987)
- Bradley Wright-Phillips, English footballer (born 1985)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.