Brandy
Brandy was the 3072nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 53 babies. Its best year was 1978, when it ranked 37th; the most babies were born in 1981 (6,898). Over the last ten years it has moved down 385 places. More babies were named Brandy in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning brandy (liquor) · English, Dutch
Say it BRAN-dee /ˈbɹændi/
- Rank in 2025
- #3,072 girls, up 221 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 53girls
- Girls and boys
- 87% girls, 13% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19816,898 babies
- Total since 1880
- 108,861babies recorded
What does the name Brandy mean?
Brandy as a girls' name comes from the word for the spirit distilled from wine, as Wiktionary notes, mostly in American usage of the 1970s and 1980s. The word is short for brandywine, from Dutch brandewijn 'burnt (distilled) wine'. It may also have been heard as a blend of Brenda and Candy. The hit song 'Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)' (1972) coincided with its peak.
brandewijn (Dutch, “burnt (distilled) wine”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Brandi, Brandie, Candy.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Brandy', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'brandy' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Brandy popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,072 | #12,310 | 53 | 5 |
| 2020 | #3,293 | #10,790 | 47 | 6 |
| 2010 | #1,329 | #4,377 | 177 | 22 |
| 2000 | #398 | #4,420 | 720 | 17 |
| 1990 | #137 | #2,016 | 2,266 | 37 |
| 1980 | #42 | #1,047 | 6,410 | 74 |
| 1970 | #385 | #1,081 | 610 | 57 |
| 1960 | #1,857 | #3,117 | 37 | 8 |
| 1950 | #3,071 | — | 12 | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Brandy, counting every spelling?
Brandy is the most common spelling of a name family that had 81 girls in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 81 girls in 2025.
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 Brandy?
53 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Brandy (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Brandy 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 158 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Brandy.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Brandy?
About 102,200 people born in the US named Brandy are alive today, with a median age of 45; half are between 39 and 49. That makes Brandy 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.
Brandy by state
How common Brandy was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 48 states fewer than five girls 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 Brandy: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Brandy, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Brandy · Sibling names for Brandy
Questions about the name Brandy
What does Brandy mean?
Brandy means “brandy (liquor)” (English, Dutch origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Brandy?
Brandy was the 3072nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 53 babies. Its best year was 1978, when it ranked 37th; the most babies were born in 1981 (6,898). Over the last ten years it has moved down 385 places. More babies were named Brandy in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Brandy a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 87% girls, 13% boys given the name Brandy in the US.
Where is Brandy most popular?
In 2021–2025, Brandy was most common in Florida (0.04 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and Texas.