Brandon
Brandon was the 261st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,326 babies. Its best year was 1992, when it ranked 6th with 29,628 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 178 places. More babies were named Brandon in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning broom hill (place name) · Old English, Irish
Say it BRAN-duhn /ˈbrændən/
- Rank in 2025
- #261 boys, down 96 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,326boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 199229,628 babies
- Total since 1880
- 774,654babies recorded
What does the name Brandon mean?
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
Brandon popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 4,145 since 1954.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #261 | 1,326 |
| 2020 | #165 | 2,312 |
| 2010 | #44 | 8,549 |
| 2000 | #12 | 20,337 |
| 1990 | #19 | 22,163 |
| 1980 | #31 | 14,161 |
| 1970 | #131 | 2,544 |
| 1960 | #575 | 185 |
| 1950 | #936 | 54 |
| 1940 | #2,341 | 10 |
| 1930 | #2,315 | 12 |
| 1920 | #2,987 | 9 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Brandon, counting every spelling?
Brandon is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #266 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #261 for Brandon 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 Brandon?
1,326 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Brandon (0.37 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Brandon 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 6 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Brandon.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Brandon?
About 736,900 people born in the US named Brandon are alive today, with a median age of 33; half are between 25 and 41. That makes Brandon 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.
Brandon by state
How common Brandon was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Mississippi (1.9×), Delaware (1.9×), Alabama (1.8×), Louisiana (1.8×), Georgia (1.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Minnesota, Utah, Iowa.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Brandon: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Brandon, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Brandon · Sibling names for Brandon
Questions about the name Brandon
What does Brandon mean?
Brandon means “broom hill (place name)” (Old English, Irish origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Brandon?
Brandon was the 261st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,326 babies. Its best year was 1992, when it ranked 6th with 29,628 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 178 places. More babies were named Brandon in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Brandon a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Brandon in the US.
Where is Brandon most popular?
In 2021–2025, Brandon was most common in Mississippi (1.90 per 1,000 boys), followed by Delaware and Alabama.