How common is the surname Bradley?

136,720 people in the United States had the surname Bradley in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,258 Americans. It ranked 208th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Bradley?

Michael Bradley, American soccer player and coach, followed by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Where is the surname Bradley most common?

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

How do you pronounce Bradley?

Bradley is /ˈbɹædli/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Bradley getting more or less common?

More common. 131,289 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 136,720 in 2010, up 4.1%.

What are other spellings of Bradley?

Bradly, Bradeley, Bradlee, Bradleigh, Bradlie and Broadley.

Is Bradley also a first name?

Yes. Bradley is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Bradley

An English place surname, carried by 136,720 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈbɹædli/ 2 syllables Soundex B634 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Bradley is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

English origin

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

Bradley is a place surname: taken from where an ancestor lived or came from.

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 136,720 people named Bradley in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,258 Americans. That is up 4.1% since 2000, when the Census counted 131,289.

#208

rank among US surnames

136,720

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+4.1%

change since 2000 (was #200)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#199	Spencer	139,951	2,206
#200	Hawkins	139,751	2,209
#201	Arnold	138,893	2,223
#202	Pierce	138,629	2,227
#203	Vazquez	138,322	2,232
#204	Hansen	137,977	2,238
#205	Peters	137,513	2,245

Who is named Bradley

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

69% of people named Bradley identified as white (not Hispanic), 25% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Bradleys

46 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Michael Bradley
American soccer player and coach, born 1987
Marion Zimmer Bradley
American novelist and editor (1930–1999)
Ed Bradley
American journalist (1941–2006)
Shawn Bradley
American basketball player, born 1972
Bill Bradley
American basketball player and politician (born 1943)
David Bradley
British actor, born 1942
Alice Bradley Sheldon
American science fiction writer (1915–1987)
Bob Bradley
American soccer coach, born 1958
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, born 1983

Notable Bradleys come mostly from the United States (42), the United Kingdom (3) and Australia (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Bradly
Bradeley
Bradlee
Bradleigh
Bradlie
Broadley

Surnames that sound like Bradley

Bradley has the Soundex code B634, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code B634.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Bradley come from?: Ultimately from Old English brād (“broad”) + lēah (“woodland”). Equivalent to broad + -ley.
How common is the surname Bradley?: 136,720 people in the United States had the surname Bradley in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,258 Americans. It ranked 208th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Bradley?: In the 2010 Census, 69% of people named Bradley identified as white (not Hispanic), and 25% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Bradley?: Michael Bradley, American soccer player and coach, followed by Marion Zimmer Bradley.
Where is the surname Bradley most common?: Wikidata records people named Bradley in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.
How do you pronounce Bradley?: Bradley is /ˈbɹædli/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Bradley?: Bradley is a place surname, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from.
Is the surname Bradley getting more or less common?: More common. 131,289 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 136,720 in 2010, up 4.1%.
What are other spellings of Bradley?: Bradly, Bradeley, Bradlee, Bradleigh, Bradlie and Broadley.
Is Bradley also a first name?: Yes. Bradley is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.