The given name Brantley is an English surname that evolved into a masculine first name. It originated as a place name referring to a hamlet in the county of Suffolk, England. The earliest known recording of the name dates back to the 12th century in the form of "Brantleia" or "Branteleye," which translates to "the clearing by the hill stream" in Old English.

Brantley is a combination of two Old English words: "brant," meaning steep or precipitous, and "leah," meaning a woodland clearing or meadow. This suggests that the name was initially used to describe a settlement located near a steep hill or stream, likely in a wooded area.

While the name's origins can be traced back to medieval England, it was not widely used as a first name until much later. One of the earliest recorded instances of Brantley as a given name was in 1798 when Brantley York was born in North Carolina, United States.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Brantley. Brantley Aycock (1727-1818) was an American farmer and Revolutionary War soldier from North Carolina. Brantley Buckner (1897-1983) was a professional baseball player who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1920s. Brantley Gilbert (born 1985) is a contemporary American country music singer and songwriter.

Other famous Brantleys include Brantley Boxill (born 1955), an American philosopher and professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Brantley W. Sanders Jr. (1923-2007), a notable American jurist who served as a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

While not as popular as some other English names, Brantley has maintained a presence throughout history, particularly in the United States, where it has been used as both a surname and a given name for several centuries.