Brendan
Brendan was the 1098th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 195 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 96th with 3,995 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 711 places. More babies were named Brendan in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning prince (Welsh word, via Irish) · Irish, Welsh
Say it BREN-dun /ˈbɹɛndən/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,098 boys, down 376 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 195boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19993,995 babies
- Total since 1880
- 92,141babies recorded
What does the name Brendan mean?
Brendan is the anglicized form of Irish Bréanainn (Latin Brendanus), the name of two 6th-century Irish saints, including Brendan the Navigator. DMNES and Wiktionary derive it from Old Welsh breenhin 'prince, king', borrowed into Irish, and Wiktionary traces this to Proto-Celtic *brigantīnos 'eminent one', making Brendan a distant doublet of Brian. It was popular in the US in the 1990s.
breenhin (Old Welsh, “prince, king”)*brigantīnos (Proto-Celtic, “eminent one”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Brandon, Bréanainn, Brenda, Brian.
See also: Irish names, names that mean king or queen.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Brendan', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Brendan', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Brendan popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 325 since 1968.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,098 | 195 |
| 2020 | #722 | 344 |
| 2010 | #231 | 1,527 |
| 2000 | #101 | 3,657 |
| 1990 | #155 | 1,996 |
| 1980 | #219 | 1,102 |
| 1970 | #336 | 568 |
| 1960 | #538 | 217 |
| 1950 | #880 | 61 |
| 1940 | #1,185 | 32 |
| 1930 | #1,606 | 21 |
| 1920 | #2,622 | 11 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Brendan, counting every spelling?
Brendan is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #816 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,098 for Brendan on its own. Together these spellings went to 293 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brendan | 195 | #1,098 | 1,275 |
| Brenden | 43 | #2,891 | 340 |
| Brendon | 48 | #2,683 | 301 |
| Brendyn | 7 | #9,859 | 53 |
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 Brendan?
195 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Brendan (0.05 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Brendan 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 43 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Brendan.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Brendan?
About 87,100 people born in the US named Brendan are alive today, with a median age of 29; half are between 22 and 37. That makes Brendan 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.
Brendan by state
How common Brendan was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Massachusetts (3.5×), Connecticut (2.8×), New Jersey (2.1×), Illinois (2.1×), New York (2.0×). In 25 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 Brendan: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Brendan, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Brendan · Sibling names for Brendan
Questions about the name Brendan
What does Brendan mean?
Brendan means “prince (Welsh word, via Irish)” (Irish, Welsh origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Brendan?
Brendan was the 1098th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 195 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 96th with 3,995 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 711 places. More babies were named Brendan in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Brendan a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Brendan in the US.
Where is Brendan most popular?
In 2021–2025, Brendan was most common in Massachusetts (0.51 per 1,000 boys), followed by Connecticut and New Jersey.