Total births
313,008
Boys' name · since 1880
Bradley
313,008 babies named Bradley in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1980. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #362
- among boys today
- 313,008
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
Bradley currently ranks #362 among boys' names in America, with 313,008 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Bradley recorded 313,008 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #362 nationally today, ahead of 97% of boys, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #362 among boys today
- 313,008 born since 1880
- 1980s peak decade
- 97% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Bradley is currently the #362 boys' name in America, more common than 97% of boys - 313,008 born since 1880, peaking in the 1980s.
- #362
- among boys today
- 313,008
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
Bradley vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#362
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 97% of names given to boys today.
1980s
Peak decade
22% of everyone ever named Bradley was born in this single decade.
1980
Single peak year
7,210 babies were named Bradley in 1980 - its busiest year on record.
How Bradley compares
313,008 Top 1% higher than 99% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Bradley's all-time total is 853x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bradley | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 313,008 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 7,210 | 23 | 22,252 |
Bradley's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Bradley's SSA record in two at 1955 and the more recent half accounts for 93% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 7%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1880, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1980 peak of 7,210, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Bradley at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1980
Current rank
#362
Active since
1880
Bradley popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1980)
- 7,210
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Bradley popularity over time - girls
1,949 total births recorded since 1920 (Bradley as girls' name)
Bradley by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Bradley's strongest decade.
69,352 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Bradley births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 42
1880s
42 births
- 1890s 118
1890s
118 births
- 1900s 128
1900s
128 births
- 1910s 479
1910s
479 births
- 1920s 873
1920s
873 births
- 1930s 1,830
1930s
1,830 births
- 1940s 5,532
1940s
5,532 births
- 1950s
1950s
29,507 births
- 1960s
1960s
48,730 births
- 1970s
1970s
58,678 births
- 1980s
1980s
69,352 births
- 1990s
1990s
48,086 births
- 2000s 23,618
2000s
23,618 births
- 2010s 20,160
2010s
20,160 births
- 2020s 5,875
2020s
5,875 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 69,352 births (22% of all-time use).
How Bradley compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Bradley's total volume
Bradley vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Bradley by state
Where Bradley concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 24,158 | 7.7% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 19,292 | 6.2% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 19,015 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Texas | | 17,550 | 5.6% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 16,410 | 5.2% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 14,727 | 4.7% |
| #7 | Indiana | | 12,578 | 4.0% |
| #8 | New York | | 12,411 | 4.0% |
California share of Bradley's total US births 7.7%
Even split
24,158 of 313,008 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Bradley appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bradley? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 313,008 babies named Bradley. Today it holds rank #362 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1980, with 7,210 births.
When was Bradley most popular? ▼
Bradley was most popular in the 1980s decade with 69,352 total births. The single peak year was 1980.
Where is Bradley most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Bradley are California (24,158 births), Illinois (19,292 births), Ohio (19,015 births).
How long has the name Bradley been used? ▼
Bradley has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Bradley? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Brandon, Brayden, Brady, Brad, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Bradley's data
- Bradley's decade-level peak was the 1980s (69,352 total births); usage has since declined to 5,875 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Bradleys (24,158 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Bradley
Nearby Names Like Bradley
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bradley
Brandon Boy
#230 770,509 births
Brayden Boy
#190 136,548 births
Brady Boy
#309 96,770 births
Brad Boy
#4077 83,060 births
Braxton Boy
#170 65,831 births
Compare Bradley side by side: Bradley vs Brandon Bradley vs Brayden Bradley vs Brady
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bradley
Cesar #361
78,824 births · Peak 2004
Santino #363
13,624 births · Peak 2025
Ibrahim #360
17,907 births · Peak 2025
Callahan #364
6,030 births · Peak 2025
Travis #359
308,571 births · Peak 1989
Baylor #365
9,010 births · Peak 2024
Onyx #358
6,849 births · Peak 2023
Banks #366
6,459 births · Peak 2025
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Bradley: #362 Boys' Name - 313,008 Births, Peak 1980." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/bradley. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Bradley draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.