Brendan
The Irish Bréanainn, borrowed from a Welsh word for prince.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Brendan first shows up in the national records in 1912. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1998 to 1999. Its biggest year was 1999, when 3,995 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 96 nationally. All told, 92,141 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Brenden (25,757), Brendon (20,103), Brendyn (1,407), Brendin (711) (total births since 1880)
Explore Brendan interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 85 | No. 1746 |
| 1920s | 165 | No. 1696 |
| 1930s | 289 | No. 989 |
| 1940s | 444 | No. 897 |
| 1950s | 984 | No. 586 |
| 1960s | 3,437 | No. 339 |
| 1970s | 6,930 | No. 230 |
| 1980s | 14,598 | No. 145 |
| 1990s | 28,521 | No. 96 |
| 2000s | 25,836 | No. 101 |
| 2010s | 8,908 | No. 231 |
| 2020s | 1,619 | No. 722 |
Births and rank shown for boys, 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.