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Bradley

Bradley: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“broad wood; broad clearing”
Origin
Old English
Say it
BRAD-lee · 2 syllables
Used for
Boys

From an English surname and place name derived from Old English brad 'broad' and leah 'woodland clearing.' It began as a habitational surname before becoming a given name.

English namesNames meaning natureNames meaning earthNames meaning treeSurname-style namesClassic names

How popular is Bradley?

2024288 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Bradley in 2024958

2024 rank#364 boys

Peak year1980

Total US babies since 1880314,113

Bradley is fading: recent use is about 52% of its level ten years before.

Names like Bradley

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Bradbroad clearing · English
  • Bradlybroad meadow · Old English
  • Wesleywestern meadow · Old English
  • Westonwestern settlement · Old English
  • Blakeblack; pale · Old English
  • Oakleyoak clearing · Old English
  • Edwardwealthy guardian · Old English
  • Ashtonash tree town · Old English

Bradley questions

What does the name Bradley mean?

Bradley means "broad wood; broad clearing". It comes from Old English. From an English surname and place name derived from Old English brad 'broad' and leah 'woodland clearing.' It began as a habitational surname before becoming a given name.

Is Bradley a boy or girl name?

Bradley is mainly a boy's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Bradley?

958 US babies were named Bradley in 2024. Its peak year was 1980.

How do you pronounce Bradley?

Bradley is usually pronounced BRAD-lee.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.