Fun Facts About the Name Brentley
- More than 4 thousand babies named Brentley: U.S. records list 4,545 babies given the name Brentley from 1880 through 2025. Even 303 girls received the name Brentley - about 1 girl for every 14 boys.
What Does the Name Brentley Mean?
Brentley is a modern English given name built from the place-name and surname element Brent plus the common English place-name ending -ley. Brent goes back to the Old English adjective brent (also written brant), meaning "steep" or "high," a word used of hills and slopes. The second element comes from Old English lēah, "wood, clearing, or meadow" - the same ending found in countless English place names such as Bradley and Beverley. Taken literally, the compound describes a clearing or meadow associated with a steep hill.
As with most names of this type, the meaning above is a literal reading of the two Old English elements rather than a recorded medieval definition. The name is a spelling variant of Brently, and it belongs to the modern habit of turning surnames and place names into first names; it is not a name inherited from Old English personal-name stock.
Brentley Name History & Origins
Brent first appears as an English place name: places such as Brent Tor in Devon and Brent Knoll in Somerset are named from the Old English word for a steep height, and the River Brent in London carries the same element. From such places came the surname Brent, which is attested in England from the Middle Ages onward. The ending -ley (also spelled -leigh, -lee, and -ly) is one of the most productive place-name endings in English, so Brentley fits a well-established pattern of English place-name formation even though it is not an old settlement name itself.
Brentley and its close variant Brently came into use as given names in the English-speaking world, chiefly in the United States, as part of a broad fashion for surname-style first names that grew through the twentieth century. The spelling with -ley is the more common one for the given name; -ly, -lee, and -leigh forms also occur. The name's development as a personal name is therefore recent and separate from the older history of Brent as a place name and surname.
How Popular is the Name Brentley?
Brentley recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2014. Its best rank was #637 in 2014.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #9,558 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #10,387 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #7,708 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 2022 | #8,621 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #8,105 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2020 | #10,398 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #6,014 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2018 | #8,699 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2017 | #8,361 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2016 | #6,955 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2015 | #9,044 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2014 | #5,649 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2013 | #8,212 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2012 | #5,740 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2011 | #8,273 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2010 | #9,322 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2009 | #9,489 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2008 | #15,730 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #18,094 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #9,389 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2005 | #14,795 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #14,137 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #13,873 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #12,296 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #13,821 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #13,231 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #9,801 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,009 | 75 | 0.0044% |
| 2024 | #1,775 | 92 | 0.0054% |
| 2023 | #1,421 | 128 | 0.0075% |
| 2022 | #1,524 | 118 | 0.0068% |
| 2021 | #1,254 | 152 | 0.0087% |
| 2020 | #1,094 | 181 | 0.0105% |
| 2019 | #955 | 224 | 0.0125% |
| 2018 | #906 | 238 | 0.0131% |
| 2017 | #815 | 278 | 0.0150% |
| 2016 | #747 | 326 | 0.0172% |
| 2015 | #642 | 411 | 0.0214% |
| 2014 | #637 | 413 | 0.0215% |
| 2013 | #653 | 372 | 0.0197% |
| 2012 | #751 | 304 | 0.0160% |
| 2011 | #1,164 | 153 | 0.0081% |
| 2010 | #2,040 | 67 | 0.0035% |
| 2009 | #4,298 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2008 | #5,279 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 2007 | #7,674 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #4,887 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2005 | #4,845 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2004 | #4,025 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2003 | #6,313 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2002 | #5,435 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2001 | #6,070 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #5,324 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1999 | #5,067 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #5,885 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #6,685 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #5,581 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #5,162 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1994 | #3,928 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1993 | #3,513 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1992 | #3,939 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1991 | #3,341 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1990 | #3,184 | 19 | 0.0009% |
| 1989 | #2,071 | 34 | 0.0017% |
| 1988 | #2,377 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1987 | #2,737 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1986 | #3,017 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1985 | #3,090 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1984 | #3,733 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1983 | #3,649 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1982 | #2,520 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1981 | #3,632 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1980 | #4,549 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #3,382 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1978 | #3,085 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1977 | #3,061 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1976 | #2,618 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1975 | #3,094 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1974 | #2,563 | 15 | 0.0010% |
| 1973 | #3,040 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1972 | #2,165 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1971 | #2,832 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1970 | #2,635 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1969 | #3,344 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1968 | #4,199 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1967 | #2,794 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1966 | #2,142 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1965 | #3,271 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1964 | #2,883 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1963 | #3,348 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #2,389 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1961 | #2,569 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1960 | #2,436 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1959 | #3,311 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #3,306 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1957 | #4,047 | 5 | 0.0002% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Brentley Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You can go to great heights and equally great depths. You are emotional and fixed in your opinions. You are hospitable, sentimental, often psychic, sometimes moody. You are ruled by love and the lack of it and feel a need to be encouraged and appreciated. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are always looking for an opportunity to achieve financial and emotional security. You are basically peacemaker. You understand the law of harmony and desire to balance your life with those around you. You may feel incomplete without someone to share your love, ideals, wealth or work. You can be very sensitive and could appear a bit shy and perceptive. You have developed intuition, patience and the ability to nurture others. You can achieve the state of happiness if you are willing to accept your needs in a complimentary relationship and go to create them.
✦ Brentley's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Brentley's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.