Brendon
Brendon was the 2683rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 48 babies. Its best year was 1998, when it ranked 318th with 868 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,567 places. More babies were named Brendon in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Brendan) prince (Welsh word, via Irish) · Irish, Welsh
- Rank in 2025
- #2,683 boys, down 611 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 48boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1998868 babies
- Total since 1880
- 20,103babies recorded
What does the name Brendon mean?
Brendon 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)
Brendon popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 22 since 1986.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,683 | 48 |
| 2020 | #2,072 | 68 |
| 2010 | #634 | 384 |
| 2000 | #348 | 787 |
| 1990 | #451 | 485 |
| 1980 | #603 | 208 |
| 1970 | #738 | 124 |
| 1960 | #3,119 | 8 |
| 1950 | #3,750 | 5 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Brendon, counting every spelling?
Brendon is a spelling of Brendan, a name family that ranked #816 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,683 for Brendon 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 Brendon?
48 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Brendon (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Brendon 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 175 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Brendon.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Brendon?
About 19,300 people born in the US named Brendon are alive today, with a median age of 29; half are between 22 and 36. That makes Brendon 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.
Brendon by state
How common Brendon was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 43 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 Brendon: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Brendon, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Brendon
What does Brendon mean?
Brendon is a spelling of Brendan, which means “prince (Welsh word, via Irish)” (Irish, Welsh origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Brendon?
Brendon was the 2683rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 48 babies. Its best year was 1998, when it ranked 318th with 868 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,567 places. More babies were named Brendon in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Brendon a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Brendon in the US.
Where is Brendon most popular?
In 2021–2025, Brendon was most common in Louisiana (0.05 per 1,000 boys), followed by Pennsylvania and New Jersey.