Aubrey
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Meaning
from Alberic, "elf ruler"; originally masculine, now mostly feminine
The story
Aubrey descends from Alberic, a Germanic name meaning elf ruler, carried into England by the Normans and worn for centuries almost entirely by men; in American records it held a modest, mostly male presence for the better part of a century. Its turn toward girls is often traced to the soft 1972 ballad Aubrey by the band Bread, after which daughters named Aubrey began appearing in real numbers; the timing lines up, though no one can prove a song did it. The name then rode the modern fashion for vowel-soft girls' names alongside Audrey and Avery, peaking in the 2010s. In a neat twist, its most famous male bearer today is Aubrey Drake Graham, known to the world simply as Drake. Elf ruler is a meaning few parents go hunting for, but it suits: something small, quick, and quietly in charge.
How popular is Aubrey around the world?
In the United States, 17,969 babies were named Aubrey between 2020 and 2025. In South Australia, 17 girls were registered as Aubrey in 2017.
Aubrey is on the official records of the United States, South Australia, England and Wales, Canada, New Zealand, Scotland and Brazil.
United States
1 in 1,200
In the United States, 17,969 babies were named Aubrey between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Aubrey peaked in the 2010s. In US birth records, Aubrey went mostly to boys before the 1970s and mostly to girls in every decade since. Aubrey went to 7,551 US babies in 2015 and 2,073 in 2025, 27% of the earlier figure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
South Australia
1 in 1,1002017
In South Australia, 17 girls were registered as Aubrey in 2017.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
England and Wales
1 in 1,900
In England and Wales, 267 girls named Aubrey were born in 2025, the 191st most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Canada
1 in 2,000
In Canada, 174 girls named Aubrey were born in 2024, the 156th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
New Zealand
1 in 2,700
In New Zealand, 21 girls named Aubrey were registered in 2025.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Scotland
1 in 6,500
In Scotland, 4 boys named Aubrey were registered in 2024, the 619th most common name among boys that year.
In Scotland, 3 girls named Aubrey were registered in 2024, the 790th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
Austria
last on record 2018
Aubrey is not on the 2025 record for Austria, which publishes every first name down to a single birth, so the name was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Brazil
At the 2022 census, 29 people in Brazil were named Aubrey, ranked 96,655th, with a median age of 38.
People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
Ireland
last on record 2023
Aubrey is not on the 2025 record for Ireland, where names under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Montevideo City
last on record 1992
Aubrey is not on the 2011 record for Montevideo, whose registry withholds nothing, so the spelling was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Aubrey
Most people given the name Aubrey in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
Names like Aubrey · Names that go with Aubrey · Middle names for Aubrey · Names that switched sides · Climbers and fallers
The Aubrey deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Aubrey truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Aubrey fits with your family’s names and surname.
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