Given name & surname
Brinkley
“wood, clearing”
Brinkley is a surname from Old English.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Brinkley goes back to a word meaning “wood, clearing.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1939. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Brinkley through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,346
- 38 boys · 1,308 girls
- Most popular year
- 2012
- 96 babies
- 2025
- 24
- #5,269 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −39%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 24 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 5,269 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 39.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,230 as a first name in 2020; 13,014 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.
Brinkley’s family of names
The ring: spellings.
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Similar names
If you love Brinkley, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Brimley
“broom”
>99% girls
Tenley
Tenley is a feminine given name from Old English.
>99% girls
Tinley
Tinley is a feminine given name, probably from Old English.
>99% girls
Brindle
“stream, brook”
>99% girls
Hatley
“woodland clearing, glade”
>99% girls
Tansley
“twig, branch”
>99% girls
Beckley
“wood, clearing”
>99% girls
Mosley
“peat bog”
9% boys · 91% girls