Braden
Braden was the 1152nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 183 babies. Its best year was 2005, when it ranked 133rd with 3,046 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 741 places. More babies were named Braden in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning Irish "salmon" or English "broad valley" · Irish, Old English
Say it BRAY-din /ˈbreɪdən/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,152 boys, down 343 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 183boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20053,046 babies
- Total since 1880
- 46,512babies recorded
What does the name Braden mean?
Braden is a surname with two separate sources. Wiktionary traces it to the Irish Ó Bradáin, "descendant of Bradán", a personal name meaning "salmon"; Wikipedia adds an English place-name origin meaning "broad valley" or "broad hillside", as in Braydon Forest in Wiltshire. As a first name Braden is mainly American and Canadian and was most popular in the early 2000s, alongside Brayden and Bradyn.
bradán (Irish, “salmon”)brād (Old English, “broad”)
How sure is this? Probable. Two unrelated surnames have the same spelling; which applies depends on the family.
Related names: Brayden, Braeden, Bradan, Brady.
See also: Irish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Braden', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Braden (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Braden popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 277 since 1975.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,152 | 183 |
| 2020 | #809 | 287 |
| 2010 | #207 | 1,710 |
| 2000 | #204 | 1,733 |
| 1990 | #486 | 396 |
| 1980 | #721 | 147 |
| 1970 | #991 | 67 |
| 1960 | #2,549 | 11 |
| 1950 | #2,221 | 12 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Braden, counting every spelling?
Braden is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #970 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,152 for Braden on its own. Together these spellings went to 224 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Braden | 183 | #1,152 | 1,029 |
| Bradyn | 36 | #3,255 | 211 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Braden?
183 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Braden (0.05 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Braden born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 46 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Braden.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Braden?
About 45,100 people born in the US named Braden are alive today, with a median age of 21; half are between 17 and 27. That makes Braden mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Braden by state
How common Braden was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Tennessee (2.0×), Virginia (1.7×), Ohio (1.5×). In 24 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Braden: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Braden, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Braden · Sibling names for Braden
Questions about the name Braden
What does Braden mean?
Braden means “Irish "salmon" or English "broad valley"” (Irish, Old English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Braden?
Braden was the 1152nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 183 babies. Its best year was 2005, when it ranked 133rd with 3,046 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 741 places. More babies were named Braden in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Braden a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Braden in the US.
Where is Braden most popular?
In 2021–2025, Braden was most common in Tennessee (0.24 per 1,000 boys), followed by Virginia and Ohio.