Boy name · Old English
Bradley
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: broad clearingBradley is a boy's name that comes from Old English and means "broad clearing". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Broad clearing
- Origin
- Old English
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #403 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Bradley
As a boy's name, Bradley comes from Old English and means "broad clearing". It is used in English.
Bradley is also a surname: the 218th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 130,526 people. See the most common last names.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Bradley on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Bradley on 1 list.
“Broad clearing; Old English. Place name with a friendly feel”
From Boy middle names, surname middle names for boys
How popular is Bradley?
- US rank in 2025
- #403
- 794 babies, 465 per million boys
- Best rank
- #47 in 1970
- Most babies: 7,210 in 1980
- Babies since 1880
- At least 313,008
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 38 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 103 per million |
| 1900s | 94 per million |
| 1910s | 72 per million |
| 1920s | 79 per million |
| 1930s | 173 per million |
| 1940s | 372 per million |
| 1950s | 1,460 per million |
| 1960s | 2,530 per million |
| 1970s | 3,553 per million |
| 1980s | 3,757 per million |
| 1990s | 2,469 per million |
| 2000s | 1,183 per million |
| 2010s | 1,072 per million |
| 2020s | 567 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #197 | #230 | #247 | #253 | #273 | #313 | #345 | #359 | #362 | #403 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Bradley
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- BaileySteward, bailiff (Old French, unisex)
Names with a similar meaning
- AinsleyFrom a place named for a solitary or hermitage clearing (English, unisex)
- PlatonBroad (Greek, boy)
- AshleyAsh tree clearing (Old English, unisex)
- BentleyFrom a surname meaning bentgrass clearing (Old English, boy)
- BlakelyDark clearing (Old English, girl)
- EverleighVariant of Everly, from a place name meaning boar clearing (Old English, girl)
- EverlyBoar clearing (Old English, girl)
- HaileyHay clearing (Old English, girl)
- KinsleyCyne's clearing, from cyne, royal (Old English, girl)
- LeeClearing, meadow (Old English, unisex)
- LeighMeadow, clearing (Old English, girl)
- OakleyOak clearing (Old English, boy)
- PresleyPriest's clearing (Old English, unisex)
- RidleyReed clearing (Old English, unisex)
- RileyFrom a surname meaning rye clearing (Old English, unisex)
Middle names for Bradley
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Old English
- EdgarWealthy spear (Old English, boy)
- AlfredElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- StormTempest (Old English, unisex)
- AlfredoElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardoRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- GrahamFrom a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead (Old English, boy)
- HarperHarp player (Old English, unisex)
- KnoxRound hill (Old English, boy)
- LindenLime tree (Old English, unisex)
- LindsayLincoln island (Old English, unisex)
- OsmundGod protector (Old English, boy)
- OswaldPower of a god (Old English, boy)
- RutherfordCattle ford (Old English, boy)
- StewartSteward (Old English, boy)
- SundayDay of the sun (Old English, unisex)
- AelfricElf ruler (Old English, boy)
- ÆlfricElf ruler (Old English, boy)
Bradley: common questions
What does the name Bradley mean?
Bradley comes from Old English and means "broad clearing".
Is Bradley a boy or girl name?
Bradley is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 36 girls and 794 boys in the US were named Bradley, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Bradley come from?
Bradley comes from Old English and means "broad clearing". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Bradley?
Bradley ranked #403 in the US in 2025, with 794 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Bradley?
Names spelled like Bradley include Bailey.
What middle names go with Bradley?
Middle names that flow well with Bradley include David, Dean, Drake, Glenn and James. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.