Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2016

Berkeley

Meaning birch Gender Unisex · 70% girls Rank 2025 #2,490 Trend ↓ Falling 25%

From Old English beorc (“birch”) + leah (“meadow, leigh”).

Rank 2025
#2,490
among girls · ↓98 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
81
named Berkeley · -2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 22,638
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2016
133 babies
All-time total
2,973
#4,598 all-time among girls
First recorded
1913
in Social Security records

Berkeley popularity over time

2,973 babies have been named Berkeley since 1913, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.020.040.060.0818801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 51 51 5 – –
1920s 5 89 94 9 +84% #5,049
1930s – 73 73 7 -22% –
1940s – 64 64 6 -12% –
1950s – 68 68 7 +6% –
1960s – 56 56 6 -18% –
1970s 18 46 64 6 +14% #7,239
1980s 69 30 99 10 +55% #6,207
1990s 143 81 224 22 +126% #5,036
2000s 374 107 481 48 +115% #3,050
2010s 967 170 1,137 114 +136% #1,763
2020s (to 2025) 497 65 562 94 -18% #1,909

Where Berkeley is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 68 0.04 outside top 500
2027 65 0.04 outside top 500
2028 63 0.04 outside top 500
2029 61 0.04 outside top 500
2030 59 0.04 outside top 500

Where Berkeley is most popular

Girls named Berkeley per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.049 per 1,000. Strongest in Kansas, Texas, and Georgia.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Berkeley born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Kansas 6 0.104 +113%
Texas 51 0.063 +30%
Georgia 12 0.053 +8%
North Carolina 11 0.048 ≈ national
Indiana 6 0.043 -13%
California 33 0.039 -20%
Ohio 5 0.021 -57%
Florida 5 0.012 -76%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Berkeley

Berkeley is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,490 in 2025 with 71 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1913, 2,973 American babies have been named Berkeley, about 70% girls and 30% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2016, when 133 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Berkeley stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Berkeley?

The median living Berkeley is about 12 years old; half are between 6 and 21. An estimated 2,700 people named Berkeley are alive in the United States today.

median 12 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Berkeley year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 71 #2,490 10 #7,743
2024 76 #2,392 7 #10,043
2023 81 #2,273 11 #7,347
2022 80 #2,321 15 #5,912
2021 89 #2,120 12 #6,757
2020 100 #1,909 10 #7,588
2019 98 #1,973 18 #5,181
2018 115 #1,776 17 #5,349
2017 119 #1,763 14 #6,094
2016 117 #1,778 16 #5,591
2015 108 #1,885 17 #5,319
2014 85 #2,216 14 #6,029
2013 84 #2,218 21 #4,484
2012 77 #2,403 20 #4,710
2011 88 #2,158 21 #4,525
2010 76 #2,455 12 #6,734
2009 56 #3,050 10 #7,751
2008 56 #3,062 16 #5,520
2007 48 #3,434 7 #9,888
2006 43 #3,626 9 #8,070
2005 45 #3,373 13 #5,908
2004 30 #4,511 16 #5,036
2003 24 #5,109 10 #6,782
2002 21 #5,480 10 #6,590
2001 29 #4,225 8 #7,606
2000 22 #5,169 8 #7,514
1995 18 #5,246 9 #5,969
1990 8 #9,340 – –
1985 8 #7,628 7 #5,199
1980 – – – –
1975 7 #7,239 5 #5,553
1970 – – 7 #3,878
1965 – – 6 #3,569
1960 – – 6 #3,695
1955 – – 8 #2,982
1950 – – 5 #3,734
1945 – – 8 #2,583
1940 – – 7 #2,901
1935 – – 5 #3,693
1930 – – 9 #2,797
1925 – – 5 #4,263
1920 – – 12 #2,472
1915 – – 7 #3,117
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Berkeley, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Berkeley?

The median living Berkeley is about 12 years old. Half of all living Berkeleys are between 6 and 21 years old.

How many people named Berkeley are alive today?

An estimated 2,700 people named Berkeley are alive in the United States, based on 2,973 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Berkeley mean?

From Old English beorc (“birch”) + leah (“meadow, leigh”).

How popular is the name Berkeley in 2025?

Berkeley ranked #2,490 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 71 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Berkeley?

2,973 babies have been named Berkeley in the United States since 1913, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Berkeley most popular?

Berkeley peaked in 2016, when 133 newborns received the name.

Is Berkeley a boy or girl name?

Berkeley is used for both: about 70% of babies named Berkeley have been girls and 30% boys.

Is the name Berkeley rising or falling?

Berkeley has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Berkeley become more popular?

Berkeley is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 59 girls named Berkeley in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Berkeley

Names that sound and feel close to Berkeley: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Berkeley with similar names → More names starting with B →