Brenda
Old Norse brandr, “sword” or “torch,” probably reaching English through Shetland.
1957peak year
No. 11best rank (1961)
610,597babies since 1880
—outside top 1000 in 2025
Popularity, 1880–2025
Brenda first shows up in the national records in 1897. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in every year from 1939 to 1977. Its biggest year was 1957, when 24,339 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 13 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1961, at No. 11. All told, 610,597 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Explore Brenda interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1890s | 7 | No. 1263 |
| 1900s | 32 | No. 1420 |
| 1910s | 180 | No. 1297 |
| 1920s | 469 | No. 922 |
| 1930s | 4,380 | No. 86 |
| 1940s | 112,415 | No. 13 |
| 1950s | 209,241 | No. 13 |
| 1960s | 164,502 | No. 11 |
| 1970s | 48,591 | No. 40 |
| 1980s | 24,147 | No. 112 |
| 1990s | 24,929 | No. 114 |
| 2000s | 14,348 | No. 172 |
| 2010s | 4,142 | No. 426 |
| 2020s | 1,095 | No. 1140 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.