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.
- #113 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #403 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 313,008
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
Bradley currently ranks #403 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 #403 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.
- #113 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #403 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 313,008 born since 1880
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bradley ranks #113 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #403 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 313,008 born since 1880, peaking in the 1980s.
- #113 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #403 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 313,008
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
Bradley's 313,008 recorded births place it above 99.75% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Bradley compares
313,008 Top 1% higher than 99% of 13,930 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 848x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bradley | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 313,008 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 7,210 | 34 | 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 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
1980s is the heaviest window (69,352 births, 22% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Bradley sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Bradley most popular? ▼
Where is Bradley most popular? ▼
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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
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
Compare Bradley side by side: Bradley vs Brandon Bradley vs Brayden Bradley vs Brady
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bradley
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Bradley: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1980)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 August 2026.