Berk(e)ley

• Origin: English
• Meaning: “birch meadow; birch clearing.”
• Gender: Unisex
• First Est. 18th-century for males; 1970s for females
• Variations: Berk(e)lee, Berk(e)lie, Berk(e)leigh
• Dims: Berk(e), Berkie, Berkey

From the transferred use of the English place-name and surname, ultimately derived from the Old English elements beorc, meaning “birch tree,” and lēah, meaning “meadow” or “clearing.” Berkeley is the name of a town in Gloucestershire, England, and was also associated with two English baronetcies.

It subsequently became the name of several towns and cities throughout the Anglosphere, the most notable being Berkeley, California.

As a masculine given name, it has been in use since at least the 18th century. An early notable bearer was British landowner and Whig Member of Parliament Berkeley Guise (1775–1834).

Its use as a feminine name, under various spellings such as Berkeley, Berkley, Berklee and Berk(e)leigh, began during the 1970s. Berkley first entered the U.S. Top 1000 Female Names in 2018 and peaked at #798 in 2021. As of 2025, it ranked as the 887th most popular female name in the United States.

Sister Names: Addison, Afton, Avery, Bennett, Blair, Blake, Camryn, Carrington, Chelsea, Delaney, Drew, Dylan, Elliott, Emmett, Emerson, Fallon, Fairen, Finley, Gracyn, Greenley, Greer, Hadley, Harper, Hartley, Ireland, Islay, Jameson, Jenson, Jordan, Kensington, Kimber(l)(e)y, Kinsley, Laken, Leighton, Lennox, London, Madison, M(a)ckenize, Mallory, Miller, Nealey, Oakley, Palmer, Paige, Peyton, Remington, Riley, Ripley, Sheridan, Stockard, Spencer, Tatum, Taylor, Tierney, Wallis, Whitley, Whitney, Yardley

Brother Names: Anderson, Archer, Avery, Bentley, Blake, Buckley, Cade, Cameron, Campbell, Dayton, Deacon, Denton, Edison, Elliott, Emmett, Fletcher, Flynn, Foster, Gage, Garrett, Gatlin, Harrison, Hewitt, Hudson, Irving, Jackson, Jameson, Jones, Keaton, Kingsley, Kyler, Lawson, Lennox, Lee, Macklin, Mercer, Miller, Newton, Nolan, Nixon, Oakton, Paxton, Peyton, Preston, Quincy, Redding, Remington, Rhodes, Sawyer, Spencer, Shepherd, Tate, Tyler, Tyson, Upton, Vance, Vaughn, Wallace, Wesley, Wilson, Yates, Yardley, York

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_(surname)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_(given_name)