Brantley
Boy name · #500 in 2025 · Rare
Brantley ranks #500 among American boys' names as of 2025, with 606 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #122, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 2,970 boys born in 2025 was named Brantley.
The 132-year story
Brantley first appears in the Social Security records in 1893, when 5 boys received the name. Its peak came in 2014, when 3,353 boys were named Brantley — good for #121 that year. Today's parents encounter it on its way down the popularity curve, which for many parents is exactly the appeal. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Brantley per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Brantley against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Brantley in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Brantley is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Brantley will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Brantley is most common
Geography matters for names, and Brantley is no exception. Adjusted for how many boys are born in each state, Brantley is most common in WV (2.8 per 1,000), MS (1.4 per 1,000), KY (1.2 per 1,000), AL (1.1 per 1,000), SC (1 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.4 per 1,000 boys. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Brantley is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Brantley
Statistically, parents drawn to Brantley tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Bentley, Kingsley, Finnley, Finley, and Oakley.
BentleyKingsleyFinnleyFinleyOakleyJayceonMarleyHuxley
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Brantley | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 606 | #499 |
| 2024 | 643 | #479 |
| 2023 | 889 | #365 |
| 2022 | 1,070 | #313 |
| 2021 | 1,303 | #268 |
| 2020 | 1,580 | #233 |
| 2019 | 1,668 | #225 |
| 2018 | 2,107 | #192 |
| 2017 | 2,338 | #168 |
| 2016 | 2,614 | #156 |
| 2015 | 3,307 | #122 |
| 2014 | 3,353 | #121 |
| 2013 | 3,193 | #119 |
| 2012 | 2,588 | #158 |
| 2011 | 991 | #320 |
| 2010 | 311 | #735 |
| 2009 | 137 | #1278 |
| 2008 | 99 | #1594 |
| 2007 | 99 | #1576 |
| 2006 | 94 | #1562 |
| 2005 | 94 | #1514 |
| 2004 | 76 | #1687 |
| 2003 | 94 | #1410 |
| 2002 | 67 | #1723 |
| 2001 | 86 | #1441 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Brantley a popular boy name?
Brantley ranked #500 among boys in 2025 with 606 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #122.
When was the name Brantley most popular?
Brantley peaked in 2014, when 3,353 American boys received the name (ranked #121 that year). Since 2014 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Brantley?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 2,970 newborn American boys was named Brantley. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.