Braley
An English given name derived from the Old English word "bræl" meaning "meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 318 living Americans carry the first name Braley. It is a predominantly female name (96.6% of registrations). The average person named Braley today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Braley births was 2011 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Braley. 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.
People living today
318
~ 1 in 1,077,844 Americans
Peak year
2011
24 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2013 SSA rank
#12,391
Tracked since 1993
Gender
Gender distribution for Braley
Braley leans heavily female at 96.6% of total registrations, but 11 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Braley as a male name
- Ranked #12,391 in 2013
- 5 male births in 2013
- Peak: 2007 (6 births)
Braley as a female name
- Ranked #15,635 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2011 (24 births)
Popularity
Braley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Braley from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 132 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
Braley 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 Braley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Braley
The given name Braley is believed to have originated from an Old English word "bræl," which meant "a patch of land cleared for cultivation." The name likely emerged in the medieval period, possibly as a surname referring to someone who lived near or worked on such a piece of land.
During the Middle Ages, the name Braley was primarily confined to certain regions of England, particularly in the counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Leicestershire. It was not uncommon for surnames to transition into given names, and this appears to be the case with Braley.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Braley can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Braley, though the spelling may have been slightly different at the time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Braley. In the 14th century, Sir John Braley was a prominent knight who fought alongside Edward III in the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453). Another notable figure was Thomas Braley (c. 1492-1557), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Stow from 1532 until his death.
During the Renaissance period, the name Braley gained some literary recognition. In 1589, the poet and playwright Thomas Kyd (1558-1594) mentioned a character named Braley in his play "The Spanish Tragedy." This work is considered one of the great Elizabethan tragedies and may have contributed to the name's popularity during that era.
In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the name Braley was Samuel Braley (1726-1802), an American revolutionary and politician who served as a representative from Massachusetts in the United States Congress from 1795 to 1797.
Another prominent individual was Sir Edward Braley (1795-1876), a British naval officer who distinguished himself during the Napoleonic Wars and later served as the Governor of the Bahamas from 1849 to 1854.
While the name Braley has its roots in medieval England, it has been carried by individuals from various backgrounds and professions throughout history, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural and historical tapestry of the regions where it has been used.
People
Braley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Braley as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Braley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Braley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 318 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Braley 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 1,077,844 US residents.
Is Braley a common name?
We classify Braley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 322 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Braley most popular?
The single biggest year for Braley was 2011, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Braley is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Braley a female name?
Yes, 96.6% of people registered as Braley 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.