# Bradley (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/bradley/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

An English habitational surname from Old English from any of these villages in England.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | place, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 136,720 |
| US rank (2010) | 208 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 2,258 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.1% (131,289 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɹædli/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Bradly, Bradeley, Bradlee, Bradleigh, Bradlie, Broadley |

## Etymology

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

## Who carries it

Share of people named Bradley in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 69% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 25% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.8% |
| Two or more races | 2.2% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Bradley in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

## People named Bradley

- Michael Bradley, American soccer player and coach
- Marion Zimmer Bradley, American novelist and editor (1930–1999)
- Ed Bradley, American journalist (1941–2006)
- Shawn Bradley, American basketball player
- Bill Bradley, American basketball player and politician (born 1943)
- David Bradley, British actor
- Alice Bradley Sheldon, American science fiction writer (1915–1987)
- Bob Bradley, American soccer coach
- Avery Bradley, American basketball player (born 1990)
- Scott Bradley, American composer (1891–1977)
- Charles Bradley, American funk/soul/R&B singer (1948–2017)
- Timothy Bradley, American boxer

and 34 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Bartley, Bordley, Bardales, Broadwell, Bradwell, Bartlett, Bartholomew, Breedlove, Bartels, Bordelon, Bartel, Bartell.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.