Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1960

Brad

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #4,267 Trend ↓ Falling 41%

A diminutive of the male given names Bradley, Bradly, and Bradford, also used as a formal given name.

Rank 2025
#4,267
among boys · ↓176 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
24
named Brad · -8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 71,170
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1960
2,651 babies
All-time total
83,293
#357 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Brad popularity over time

83,293 babies have been named Brad since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 11 11 1 – #833
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 16 16 2 – #3,311
1920s – 36 36 4 +125% #2,621
1930s – 178 178 18 +394% #1,199
1940s – 1,298 1,298 130 +629% #384
1950s 5 16,461 16,466 1,647 +1169% #142
1960s 44 21,351 21,395 2,140 +30% #134
1970s 120 22,617 22,737 2,274 +6% #98
1980s 64 13,579 13,643 1,364 -40% #116
1990s – 4,375 4,375 438 -68% #363
2000s – 2,169 2,169 217 -50% #632
2010s – 782 782 78 -64% #1,411
2020s (to 2025) – 187 187 31 -60% #2,889

Where Brad is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 22 0.01 outside top 500
2027 20 0.01 outside top 500
2028 19 0.01 outside top 500
2029 18 0.01 outside top 500
2030 17 0.01 outside top 500

The story of Brad

Brad is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #4,267 in 2025 with 24 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 83,293 American babies have been named Brad. Its peak came in 1960, when 2,651 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Brad stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Brad?

The median living Brad is about 53 years old; half are between 44 and 63. An estimated 72 thousand people named Brad are alive in the United States today.

median 53 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Brad year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 24 #4,267
2024 – – 26 #4,091
2023 – – 28 #3,901
2022 – – 32 #3,545
2021 – – 36 #3,251
2020 – – 41 #2,889
2019 – – 40 #2,999
2018 – – 54 #2,419
2017 – – 55 #2,351
2016 – – 50 #2,521
2015 – – 88 #1,744
2014 – – 76 #1,908
2013 – – 86 #1,711
2012 – – 99 #1,589
2011 – – 117 #1,411
2010 – – 117 #1,415
2009 – – 145 #1,234
2008 – – 166 #1,105
2007 – – 206 #955
2006 – – 214 #906
2005 – – 228 #824
2004 – – 212 #838
2003 – – 215 #809
2002 – – 231 #749
2001 – – 263 #685
2000 – – 289 #632
1995 – – 398 #513
1990 – – 649 #363
1985 7 #8,435 1,143 #211
1980 11 #5,950 2,371 #116
1975 8 #6,552 2,608 #98
1970 13 #4,257 2,327 #139
1965 – – 2,091 #148
1960 7 #5,219 2,644 #134
1955 5 #5,911 1,877 #153
1950 – – 460 #320
1945 – – 73 #709
1940 – – 31 #1,211
1935 – – 27 #1,298
1930 – – 8 #3,054
1925 – – 5 #4,278
1920 – – 11 #2,621
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – 5 #929

Famous people named Brad

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Brad Pitt Brad Pitt American actor (born 1963) Contemporary
  2. 2 Brad Dourif Brad Dourif American actor (born 1950) Contemporary
  3. 3 Brad Renfro Brad Renfro American actor (1982–2008) Contemporary
  4. 4 Brad Garrett Brad Garrett American comedian and actor (born 1960) Contemporary
  5. 5 Brad Falchuk Brad Falchuk American television writer, director, and producer (born 1971) Contemporary
  6. 6 Brad Paisley Brad Paisley American country musician (born 1972) Contemporary
  7. 7 Brad Delp Brad Delp American rock musician (1951–2007) Contemporary
  8. 8 Brad Bird Brad Bird American filmmaker, animator, and voice actor (born 1957) Contemporary
  9. 9 Brad Davis Brad Davis American actor (1949–1991) Contemporary
  10. 10 Brad William Henke Brad William Henke American actor (1966–2022) Contemporary
  11. 11 Brad Stevens Brad Stevens American basketball executive, coach and player (born 1976) Contemporary
  12. 12 Brad Wilk Brad Wilk American drummer (born 1968) Contemporary
  13. 13 Brad Anderson Brad Anderson American film director (born 1964) Contemporary
  14. 14 Brad Keselowski Brad Keselowski American racing driver (born 1984) Contemporary
  15. 15 Brad Dexter Brad Dexter American actor (1917–2002) Contemporary
  16. 16 Brad Daugherty Brad Daugherty American basketball player (born 1965) Contemporary
  17. 17 Brad Gilbert Brad Gilbert American tennis player and coach (born 1961) Contemporary
  18. 18 Brad Mehldau Brad Mehldau American jazz musician (born 1970) Contemporary
  19. 19 Brad Miller Brad Miller American basketball player (born 1976) Contemporary
  20. 20 Brad Fiedel American composer (born 1951) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Brad, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Brad?

The median living Brad is about 53 years old. Half of all living Brads are between 44 and 63 years old.

How many people named Brad are alive today?

An estimated 72 thousand people named Brad are alive in the United States, based on 83,293 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Brad mean?

A diminutive of the male given names Bradley, Bradly, and Bradford, also used as a formal given name.

How popular is the name Brad in 2025?

Brad ranked #4,267 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 24 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Brad?

83,293 babies have been named Brad in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Brad most popular?

Brad peaked in 1960, when 2,651 newborns received the name.

Is Brad a boy or girl name?

Brad is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Brad rising or falling?

Brad is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Brad become more popular?

Brad is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 17 boys named Brad in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Brad?

Well-known people named Brad include Brad Pitt (actor), Brad Dourif (actor), Brad Renfro (actor).

Names like Brad

Names that sound and feel close to Brad: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Brad with similar names → More names starting with B →