Brandan
Brandan was the 7753rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 10 babies. Its best year was 1993, when it ranked 638th with 263 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 3,186 places. More babies were named Brandan in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Brandon) broom hill (place name) · Old English, Irish
- Rank in 2025
- #7,753 boys, down 2,689 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 10boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1993263 babies
- Total since 1880
- 5,776babies recorded
What does the name Brandan mean?
Brandan is a spelling of Brandon, pronounced the same way, so it shares Brandon's meaning and origin.
Brandon has two main sources. As an English surname it comes from places called Brandon, from Old English brom, 'broom (the shrub)', and dun, 'hill', so 'broom hill'; Wiktionary and Wikipedia agree. As an Irish surname it is a form of Mac Breandáin, 'son of Brendan'. Wiktionary notes that Brandon became a popular American and Canadian first name in the 1980s and 1990s.
brōm (Old English, “broom shrub”)dūn (Old English, “hill”)
How sure is this? Probable. Mostly from 'broom hill' place names; some families have the Irish Brendan surname.
Related names: Branden, Brendan, Bran.
See also: English names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Brandon', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Brandon (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Brandan popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 96 since 1974.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,753 | 10 |
| 2020 | #5,064 | 18 |
| 2010 | #2,121 | 63 |
| 2000 | #859 | 185 |
| 1990 | #745 | 186 |
| 1980 | #959 | 88 |
| 1970 | #2,520 | 14 |
| 1960 | #2,435 | 12 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Brandan, counting every spelling?
Brandan is a spelling of Brandon, a name family that ranked #266 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #7,753 for Brandan on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,387 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon | 1,326 | #261 | 8,465 |
| Branden | 35 | #3,320 | 244 |
| Brandyn | 11 | #7,264 | 74 |
| Brandan | 10 | #7,753 | 36 |
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 Brandan?
10 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Brandan (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Brandan 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 831 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Brandan.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Brandan?
About 5,400 people born in the US named Brandan are alive today, with a median age of 33; half are between 26 and 39. That makes Brandan mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Brandan: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Brandan, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Brandan
What does Brandan mean?
Brandan is a spelling of Brandon, which means “broom hill (place name)” (Old English, Irish origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Brandan?
Brandan was the 7753rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 10 babies. Its best year was 1993, when it ranked 638th with 263 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 3,186 places. More babies were named Brandan in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Brandan a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Brandan in the US.