Berkeley
Feminine · “birch clearing”
Berkeley is given to both — 2,073 girls and 900 boys since 1880. See Berkeley as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Berkeley is the birch clearing — the Old English beorc and leah — and the philosopher of that name argued matter does not exist.
How old is the name Berkeley?
Berkeley first appears in US birth records in 1923 — 102 years ago. The typical Berkeley is a kid of about 10 — this name's wave is very recent. About 2,100 people named Berkeley are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Berkeley most popular?
Berkeley peaked in 2017, reaching #1761 nationally. Today it ranks #2485, 724 places below that high. See the whole 2017 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From beorc leah to Berkeley
The story of Berkeley
George Berkeley argued that material objects exist only as they are perceived, and a hopeful American college town was named for him in 1866 on the strength of a line about empire taking its way westward. The name itself is a birch clearing in Gloucestershire. Berkeley appears in American records for both sexes in current use.
Meaning
birch clearing
From the Old English beorc, 'birch', and leah, 'wood' or 'clearing'. Berkeley in Gloucestershire preserves it. George Berkeley, the philosopher, gave his name to the California city and university. The elements are documented.
How the name formed
- beorc leah
- Berkeley
Related forms: Berkley · Barclay
Pronouncing Berkeley
BARK-lee
Two syllables, stress on the first. British English says BARK-lee; American says BURK-lee.
Nicknames for Berkeley
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1923
- Most girls named
- 2017119 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1761reached in 2017
- Change vs 2024
- −6.6%71 in 2025, from 76
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Berkeley in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Berkley in English — spelling variant
- Barclay in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Georgia.
Berkeleys among us
people named Berkeley are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 22,638 born in 2025 was named Berkeley
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Sharnice test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Berkeley's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Sharnice climbed just as high around 1992, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Sharnice's path sketches the road Berkeley is walking now.
Berkeley sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Berkeley is headed
Berkeley should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Berkeley beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Berkeley in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That a philosopher who denied matter has a city named for him is a first-rate irony.
- Lee is available as a short form with an enormous record.
- The birch-clearing meaning is concrete and undisputed.
- British and American pronunciations differ entirely.
- The Berk clipping is British slang for a fool.
- The California city is a strong political association.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Berkeley to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Berkeley
Feminine · #2485 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Berkeleys are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,100 people named Berkeley are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Berkeley in 2025?
- Berkeley ranks #2485 among US girl names in 2025, with 71 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Berkeley?
- About 1 in every 22,638 US girls born in 2025 was named Berkeley — 71 in all.
- Will my child share the name Berkeley with classmates?
- Berkeley will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Berkeley
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Kinlee#2485 · Serayah#2485 · Sariya#2485 · Caitlyn#2485 · Laiken#2485 · Briseida#2485 · Marguerite#2485 · Levi#2485
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Berkeley? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Berkeley and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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