The name Brinkley has its origins in Anglo-Saxon England, deriving from the Old English words "brinc" meaning "brink" or "edge," and "leah" meaning "meadow" or "clearing." It is believed to have originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a meadow on the edge of a hill or cliff.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brinkley can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Brincheleia," referring to a settlement in Suffolk, England.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Brinkley was primarily used as a surname, with various spellings such as Brincley, Brynkley, and Brinkleigh appearing in historical records. However, by the 16th century, it had also started to be used as a given name, particularly in the English gentry and aristocracy.

One notable historical figure with the name Brinkley was Sir William Brinkley (1576-1629), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire in the early 17th century. Another was John Brinkley (1763-1835), an English astronomer and Bishop of Cloyne, known for his work on stellar parallax and the calculation of the distance to stars.

In the 19th century, the name Brinkley gained further prominence with the birth of John Brinkley (1885-1942), an American medical charlatan who achieved notoriety for his controversial and unorthodox medical practices, including the implantation of goat testicles as a cure for male impotence.

Another significant figure bearing the name Brinkley was David Brinkley (1920-2003), an American journalist and television newscaster who gained fame as the co-anchor of the NBC News program "The Huntley-Brinkley Report" in the 1960s. His distinctive style and delivery earned him numerous awards and accolades throughout his career.

More recently, the name Brinkley has been associated with Christie Brinkley (born 1954), an American model and actress who rose to fame in the late 1970s and 1980s as one of the most successful and recognizable supermodels of her time.