Given name & surname · also Germanic, Norman French
Aubrey
“one who rules with elfwisdom”
Aubrey is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “one who rules with elfwisdom.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “one who rules with elfwisdom.”
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Norman French and Germanic naming traditions.
How it developed
Aubrey developed from a Norman French form of Germanic Alberic. The earlier name combines alb (“elf, supernatural being”) and ric (“power”).
The story
Aubrey was in use during the Middle Ages.
Aubrey through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 164,605
- 31,090 boys · 133,515 girls
- Most popular year
- 2012
- 8,213 babies
- 2025
- 2,073
- #146 for girls · #2,093 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −48%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 3% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 2,003 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 146 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 49.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 8,061 in 2012. It also appeared in 70 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (204). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 119,928 as a first name in 2020; 4,345 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Aubrey’s family of names
In English usage, Aubrey shares a linguistic root with the Italian form ALBERICO. Aubrey has a related form in Aubree. Aubrey has a related form in Aubrie.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Aubrey has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Germanic roots to each of them.
9 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 22
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Aubrey
- DrakeCanadian and American rapper, singer, and actor (born 1986)
- Aubrey PlazaAmerican actress, producer and comedian (born 1984)
- Aubrey BeardsleyBritish illustrator and author (1872–1898)
- Aubrey de GreyBritish writer and biomedical gerontologistborn 1963
- Aubrey ModibaSouth African footballerborn 1995
- Aubrey JosephAmerican actor and rapperborn 1997
- Aubrey Anderson-EmmonsAmerican actressborn 2007
- Aubrey PeeplesAmerican actorborn 1993
- Aubrey O'DayAmerican singer and reality television personalityborn 1984
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Aubrey, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Audrey
“noble” · “strength”
>99% girls
Ainsley
“one's own meadow”
1% boys · 99% girls
Hadley
“from the field of heather” · “from the heather meadow”
1% boys · 99% girls
Paisley
“woman of the church” · “man of the church”
>99% girls
Marley
“from the meadow near the lake”
13% boys · 87% girls
Harley
“from the meadow of the hares”
20% boys · 80% girls
Presley
“of the priest's town” · “from the priest's meadow”
7% boys · 93% girls
Hailey
“from the field of hay”
>99% girls