Brawley
From an English surname derived from a manor name meaning "broad meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 53 living Americans carry the first name Brawley. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Brawley today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brawley births was 2011 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brawley. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Brawley. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
53
~ 1 in 6,467,063 Americans
Peak year
2011
8 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2021 SSA rank
#9,859
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Brawley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brawley 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 33 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
Brawley 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 Brawley 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 Brawley
The name Brawley is believed to have originated from the Old English word "bræw," which means "brow" or "edge of a hill." It is thought to have been used as a surname initially, referring to someone who lived near a prominent hill or ridge.
In its earliest recorded uses as a given name, Brawley was primarily found in areas of England and Scotland where Old English dialects were spoken. The name's first recorded appearance is believed to be in the 13th century, during the Middle Ages.
While the name Brawley does not have any direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is possible that it was derived from a place name or geographic feature that had significance in local folklore or traditions.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the first name Brawley was Brawley de Wyndesore, born in 1289 in Windsor, England. He was a minor nobleman and landowner during the reign of King Edward I.
Sir Brawley Fitzherbert, born in 1412 in Derbyshire, England, was a notable figure during the Wars of the Roses. He was a loyal supporter of the House of Lancaster and fought in several battles during the conflict.
In the 16th century, Brawley Macgregor, born in 1532 in Argyll, Scotland, was a prominent member of the Clan Macgregor. He played a role in the ongoing feuds and struggles between Scottish clans during that era.
During the 17th century, Brawley Hewitt, born in 1673 in Yorkshire, England, was a notable poet and writer. His works explored themes of nature and the English countryside, reflecting his appreciation for the landscapes that may have inspired his name.
In the 19th century, Brawley Smythe, born in 1841 in Gloucestershire, England, was a pioneering archaeologist and historian. He conducted significant excavations and research into the Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods in Britain, contributing to the understanding of the region's early history.
People
Brawley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brawley 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
Brawley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brawley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 53 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brawley 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 6,467,063 US residents.
Is Brawley a common name?
We classify Brawley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 55.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 53 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brawley most popular?
The single biggest year for Brawley was 2011, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brawley is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Brawley in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Brawley a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brawley in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Brawley still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Brawley in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Brawley can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Brawley?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.