Dudley
Dudley is a male given name that means "Dudda's clearing".
- English
Meaning & Origin of Dudley
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Dudley is a male given name that means "Dudda's clearing".
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Dudley
Dudley first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 27 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1931, when 279 Dudleys were born — ranking #328 that year. As of 2026, Dudley ranks #8,287 for baby boys with 9 births, holding steady (+4%). In total, more than 12K Dudleys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Dudley
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Dudley Benjafield (1887–1957), British doctor and racing driver
- Dudley Bradley (born 1957), American basketball player
- Dudley Bradstreet (1711–1763), Irish adventurer and secret agent
- Dudley Bradstreet (magistrate) (1648–1702), American magistrate
- Dudley B. Bridgforth Jr. (born 1940), American politician
- Dudley Buck (1839–1909), American composer
- Dudley Carleton (disambiguation) , several people
- Dudley Chase (1771–1846), American senator from Vermont
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Dudley
Phonetically similar names — useful when Dudley is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Dudly
- Deadly
- Diddly
- Diddley
- Doodly
- Dully
- Duddy
- Tiddly
- Tiddley
- Tidley
- Duddie
- Deli
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dudley
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About the name Dudley
Dudley is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 12K births in the dataset. Dudley's peak popularity came in 1931 when it ranked #328. Use the chart and map above to compare Dudley's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1931 →
- Names of the 1930s →
- Names starting with "D" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.