Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2022

Brave

Gender Unisex · 24% girls Rank 2025 #3,191 Trend → Stable
Rank 2025
#3,191
among boys · ↑88 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
46
named Brave
How common
1 in 46,164
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2022
79 babies
All-time total
668
#7,821 all-time among boys
First recorded
2008
in Social Security records

Brave popularity over time

668 babies have been named Brave since 2008, 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
0.010.020.030.0418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s – – – – – –
1990s – – – – – –
2000s – 17 17 2 – #8,404
2010s 63 207 270 27 +1488% #2,947
2020s (to 2025) 97 284 381 64 +135% #2,506

Where Brave 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 37 0.02 outside top 500
2027 38 0.02 outside top 500
2028 38 0.02 outside top 500
2029 38 0.02 outside top 500
2030 38 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Brave

Brave is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #3,191 in 2025 with 37 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 2008, 668 American babies have been named Brave, about 76% boys and 24% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2022, when 79 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Brave stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Brave?

The median living Brave is about 5 years old; half are between 3 and 8. An estimated 700 people named Brave are alive in the United States today.

median 5 020406080100

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

Brave 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 9 #10,238 37 #3,191
2024 10 #9,671 36 #3,279
2023 16 #6,985 53 #2,514
2022 25 #5,192 54 #2,522
2021 16 #7,014 53 #2,506
2020 21 #5,697 51 #2,512
2019 19 #6,213 41 #2,947
2018 14 #7,827 33 #3,381
2017 7 #12,945 18 #5,133
2016 5 #16,676 30 #3,602
2015 18 #6,766 22 #4,419
2014 – – 19 #4,898
2013 – – 15 #5,698
2012 – – 17 #5,279
2011 – – 5 #12,530
2010 – – 7 #9,831
2009 – – 8 #9,090
2008 – – 9 #8,404
2007 – – – –
2006 – – – –
2005 – – – –
2004 – – – –
2003 – – – –
2002 – – – –
2001 – – – –
2000 – – – –
1995 – – – –
1990 – – – –
1985 – – – –
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Brave?

The median living Brave is about 5 years old. Half of all living Braves are between 3 and 8 years old.

How many people named Brave are alive today?

An estimated 700 people named Brave are alive in the United States, based on 668 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Brave in 2025?

Brave ranked #3,191 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 37 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Brave?

668 babies have been named Brave in the United States since 2008, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Brave most popular?

Brave peaked in 2022, when 79 newborns received the name.

Is Brave a boy or girl name?

Brave is used for both: about 24% of babies named Brave have been girls and 76% boys.

Is the name Brave rising or falling?

Brave is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Brave become more popular?

Brave looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 38 boys named Brave in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Brave

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

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