Brenden
Brenden was the 2891st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 43 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 242nd; the most babies were born in 2000 (1,394). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,994 places. More babies were named Brenden in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Brendan) prince (Welsh word, via Irish) · Irish, Welsh
- Rank in 2025
- #2,891 boys, down 1,439 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 43boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20001,394 babies
- Total since 1880
- 25,757babies recorded
What does the name Brenden mean?
Brenden is a spelling of Brendan, pronounced the same way, so it shares Brendan's meaning and origin.
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)
Brenden popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 42 since 1986.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,891 | 43 |
| 2020 | #1,452 | 119 |
| 2010 | #382 | 753 |
| 2000 | #243 | 1,394 |
| 1990 | #517 | 363 |
| 1980 | #880 | 103 |
| 1970 | #1,496 | 32 |
| 1960 | #4,094 | 5 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Brenden, counting every spelling?
Brenden is a spelling of Brendan, a name family that ranked #816 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,891 for Brenden 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 Brenden?
43 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Brenden (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Brenden 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 195 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Brenden.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Brenden?
About 25,000 people born in the US named Brenden are alive today, with a median age of 25; half are between 19 and 30. That makes Brenden 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.
Brenden by state
How common Brenden was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 44 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 Brenden: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Brenden, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Brenden
What does Brenden mean?
Brenden is a spelling of Brendan, which means “prince (Welsh word, via Irish)” (Irish, Welsh origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Brenden?
Brenden was the 2891st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 43 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 242nd; the most babies were born in 2000 (1,394). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,994 places. More babies were named Brenden in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Brenden a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Brenden in the US.
Where is Brenden most popular?
In 2021–2025, Brenden was most common in Georgia (0.04 per 1,000 boys), followed by Texas and Illinois.