Aubrey
A diminutive of the Germanic name Alberich, derived from words meaning "elf" and "power/ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 145,121 living Americans carry the first name Aubrey. It sits at #130 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 80.9% of registrations being female. The average person named Aubrey today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aubrey births was 2012 (8,211 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aubrey. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Aubrey started out as a boys' name but over the decades crossed over and is now given to girls far more often.
People living today
145K
~ 1 in 2,362 Americans
Peak year
2012
8,211 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#130
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Aubrey
Aubrey leans heavily female at 80.9% of total registrations, but 31,019 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Aubrey as a male name
- Ranked #1,744 in 2024
- 94 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1926 (498 births)
Aubrey as a female name
- Ranked #130 in 2024
- 2,209 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2012 (8,059 births)
Popularity
Aubrey: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aubrey from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 67,349 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aubrey by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Aubrey during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Aubreys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Aubrey, while Vermont, Wyoming, District of Columbia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 3,034 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Aubrey
The name Aubrey has its origins in the Old French and Old Germanic languages, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Germanic root "alf" meaning "elf" or "supernatural being," combined with the Old French "bri" or "briu," meaning "ruler" or "power."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Aubrey can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name was typically given to boys during this period, reflecting the influence of Norman-French culture after the Norman conquest of England in 1066.
In the 12th century, the name Aubrey appeared in the medieval French epic poem "The Song of Roland," where it was borne by one of the protagonists, a valiant knight in Charlemagne's army. This literary reference contributed to the name's popularity and association with bravery and chivalry.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Aubrey. One of the most famous was Aubrey de Vere, a 13th-century English nobleman and crusader who participated in the Fifth and Sixth Crusades (born around 1188, died in 1263). Another prominent figure was Aubrey de Vere, a 16th-century English poet and courtier during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (born in 1540, died in 1626).
In the 17th century, the name gained further prominence with Aubrey de Vere, the 20th Earl of Oxford (born in 1627, died in 1703), a prominent English nobleman and patron of the arts. During this time, the name also became associated with the influential Aubrey family, which produced several notable figures, including John Aubrey, a 17th-century antiquarian and writer (born in 1626, died in 1697).
Another significant bearer of the name was Aubrey Beardsley, a renowned English illustrator and author from the late 19th century (born in 1872, died in 1898). His distinctive black-and-white illustrations, known for their bold and controversial style, had a lasting impact on the Art Nouveau movement.
In the 20th century, the name Aubrey continued to be used, with notable figures such as Aubrey Hepburn, a British film producer and father of the iconic actress Audrey Hepburn (born in 1905, died in 1994), and Aubrey Menen, an Indian-born British novelist and satirist (born in 1912, died in 1989).
Notable bearers
Famous people named Aubrey
People
Aubrey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aubrey as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Aubrey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aubrey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 145,121 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aubrey going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,362 US residents.
Is Aubrey a common name?
We classify Aubrey as "Common". It ranks above 99.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 162,498 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aubrey most popular?
The single biggest year for Aubrey was 2012, when 8,211 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aubrey is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Aubrey a female name?
Yes, 80.9% of people registered as Aubrey in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.