Bradley
An English place name, Old English brad “broad” plus leah “clearing.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
Bradley appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1960 to 1997. Its biggest year was 1980, when 7,210 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 51 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1970, at No. 47. In 2025 it ranked No. 403 for boys. All told, 314,957 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Bradly (9,354), Bradlee (3,870) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Brad
Explore Bradley interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 42 | No. 563 |
| 1890s | 118 | No. 368 |
| 1900s | 128 | No. 587 |
| 1910s | 479 | No. 689 |
| 1920s | 873 | No. 564 |
| 1930s | 1,830 | No. 356 |
| 1940s | 5,532 | No. 174 |
| 1950s | 29,507 | No. 103 |
| 1960s | 48,730 | No. 53 |
| 1970s | 58,678 | No. 47 |
| 1980s | 69,352 | No. 50 |
| 1990s | 48,086 | No. 65 |
| 2000s | 23,618 | No. 131 |
| 2010s | 20,160 | No. 169 |
| 2020s | 5,875 | No. 273 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.