Hillside meadow or briar clearing
Brailey is a modern English surname-style name likely derived from Old English elements. It typically combines 'brer' (briar or brushwood) or 'brae' (hillside) with 'leah' (meadow or clearing). As a contemporary invention, it follows the popular trend of adding the '-ley' suffix to familiar phonetic sounds.
Less common today
Brailey isn't in the latest US Top 1000. It last peaked at #2,371 in 2012.
US births per 5-year period, 1990–present (SSA data).
