Name Awesome

Berkeley

#2,490 in 2025UnisexGirls' nameBoys' name

Birch + meadow, leigh

Berkeley has been given to 2,973 babies in the U.S. since 1923. In 2025 it ranked #2,490 of 17,293 girls’ names in use. Its peak year was 2017, with 119 recorded. It's used for both sexes: 70% girls, 30% boys all-time.

Babies named Berkeley, 2025

1 in 46,700

Berkeley over time, 1880–2025

GirlsBoys
05010015018801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Girls or boys — Berkeley over time

In 2025, Berkeley went to 88% girls and 12% boys.

19132025

A sex is only published in years it reached five applications, so a stretch at 0% or 100% means the other side stayed under that floor — not that it was never used.

Berkeley: meaning, origin, and history

Birch + meadow, leigh

surname transfer

What Berkeley means

Berkeley means “birch + meadow, leigh”, associated with beorc and leah.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

From Old English beorc (“birch”) + leah (“meadow, leigh”). Equivalent to birch + -ley (“lea”).

Excerpt from Wiktionary: Berkeley (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

Berkeley is used in English. Its origins include surname transfer.

Berkeley comes through Old English beorc.

Berkeley is recorded as a surname transferred into given-name use.

Pronunciation and spelling

In English, Berkeley is pronounced /ˈbɝkli/.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 2,073 girls were recorded with the name Berkeley between 1923 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 119 in 2017; its best national rank was #1,763 in 2017.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #1,909 in 2020 to #2,490 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank fell, from #1,885 in 2015 to #2,490 in 2025.

In the United States, 900 boys were recorded with the name Berkeley between 1913 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 21 in 2011; its best national rank was #1,940 in 1934.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #7,583 in 2020 to #7,739 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank fell, from #5,315 in 2015 to #7,739 in 2025.

How common is Berkeley?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 46,700
71 of 3,315,165 births
Among girls only
1 in 22,600
<0.01% of girls
Rank, 2025
#2,490
of 17,293 girls’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
32,366 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Berkeley sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Olivia (13,544)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 30Under 1%
Grade of 100Under 1%
School of 5001%

Put another way: gather 32,366 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Berkeley. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Berkeleys were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Berkeley was born before 2015 — so the typical Berkeley is around 10 today.

Median birth year
2015
About 10 years old
Biggest decade
2010s
46.6% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
87.6%
A modern name
Recorded since 1950
2,068
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

2010s — 46.6% of all recorded uses (967).

Is Berkeley rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
−98
Places dropped
Rank vs 5 years ago
−581
Places dropped
Rank vs 10 years ago
−605
Places dropped
Births vs 10 years ago
0.66×
Fewer babies than then
Share of its own peak
59.7%
Peak was 2017 (119)
Years since peak
8
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Steady
10.0% average annual change
Best rank ever
#1,763
2017

Spellings of Berkeley

Berkeley is not the most common spelling — Berkley is, with 54.1% against Berkeley's 20.4%.

Grouped by closeness of spelling (up to two letter changes), same sex, with a floor on all-time use. It catches Sophia/Sofia and Aiden/Ayden, and misses spellings that sound alike but look different, like Sean and Shawn.

Where Berkeley is used — girls

Across 2016–2025, Berkeley was most concentrated in Kansas — about 1 in 10,000 girls, against 1 in 21,680 across all states with data. It was least common in Ohio (1 in 100,000).

110 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1Kansas1 in 10,000
  2. 2Georgia1 in 14,286
  3. 3Maryland1 in 14,286
  4. 4Texas1 in 14,286
  5. 5Virginia1 in 14,286
  6. 6North Carolina1 in 16,667
  7. 7California1 in 20,000
  8. 8Indiana1 in 20,000

Shading is the share of that state's recorded girls given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings.

Where Berkeley is used — boys

Across 1910–2025, Berkeley was most concentrated in California — about 1 in — boys, against 1 in 1,255,455 across all states with data. It was least common in Virginia (1 in —).

00 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1California1 in —
  2. 2Virginia1 in —

Shading is the share of that state's recorded boys given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings. Berkeley has too little recent state data to map, so this covers all years from 1910.

Berkeley around the world

Where Berkeley ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • Canada
    2010–2024
    #3,027
    in 2024

Popularity data from Statistics Canada. StatCan data under Statistics Canada Open Licence.

Notable people named Berkeley

People whose public names include Berkeley, backed by Wikidata given-name records and ordered by linked Wikimedia pages. The name may be a middle name.

People data from Wikidata (CC0). Fame is measured, not judged — the order reflects how widely each person is documented, not the U.S. birth records popularity this page is otherwise about.

Berkeley by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
#2,490
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 581
Best rank ever
#1,763
2017
Peak year
2017
119 that year
First recorded
1923
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
2,073
Count in 2025
71

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#7,739
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 156
Best rank ever
#1,940
1934
Peak year
2011
21 that year
First recorded
1913
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
900
Count in 2025
10

Names similar to Berkeley

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

BerkleyBerkleeKingsleyMakinleyBereniceBernettaBerlinBlakeleyBerneiceBrinkleyBerkleighBeronicaBrynnleyHensleyBerlindaBradleyHartleyKenzleyBerlynnEverleyAmberleyFinnleyBrantleyBernette

Names with a curve like Berkeley

Not spelling — timing. These names rose, peaked and faded in the same years as Berkeley, so they read as being from the same moment even when they look nothing alike.

BrightonNavyaPresleighCaliyahLayaRaeleighLillithKarmynRhyleeRaleighAnnabethAoife

Sibling names for Berkeley

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Berkeley

Top names of 2017, Berkeley's peak yearThe 2010s in fullOther names that peaked in 2017Girls' names starting with B