boys' name ★ peaked 1999

Brendan

Meaning prince, king Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,098 Trend ↓ Falling 44%

Anglicized form of the name of Irish saints, Irish Bréanainn (via Latin Brendanus), from Old Irish Brénainn, from Old Welsh breenhin (“prince, king”), ultimately from…

Rank 2025
#1,098
among boys · ↓89 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
195
named Brendan · -12% vs 2024
How common
1 in 8,759
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1999
4,005 babies
All-time total
92,141
#331 all-time among boys
First recorded
1912
in Social Security records

Brendan popularity over time

92,141 babies have been named Brendan since 1912, 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
0.631.251.882.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 85 85 9 – #1,764
1920s – 165 165 17 +94% #1,702
1930s – 289 289 29 +75% #990
1940s – 444 444 44 +54% #899
1950s – 984 984 98 +122% #586
1960s 5 3,437 3,442 344 +250% #339
1970s 39 6,930 6,969 697 +102% #230
1980s 110 14,598 14,708 1,471 +111% #145
1990s 109 28,521 28,630 2,863 +95% #96
2000s 62 25,836 25,898 2,590 -10% #101
2010s – 8,908 8,908 891 -66% #231
2020s (to 2025) – 1,619 1,619 270 -70% #722

Where Brendan 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 176 0.10 outside top 500
2027 162 0.09 outside top 500
2028 150 0.09 outside top 500
2029 141 0.08 outside top 500
2030 134 0.08 outside top 500

Where Brendan is most popular

Boys named Brendan per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.148 per 1,000. Strongest in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Brendan born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Massachusetts 70 0.509 +245%
Connecticut 28 0.414 +180%
New Jersey 64 0.318 +115%
Illinois 78 0.305 +107%
New York 129 0.298 +102%
Maryland 35 0.293 +99%
Virginia 50 0.264 +79%
Pennsylvania 67 0.252 +71%
South Carolina 19 0.184 +25%
North Carolina 46 0.180 +22%
Georgia 42 0.166 +12%
Tennessee 27 0.150 ≈ national
Ohio 38 0.143 ≈ national
Colorado 18 0.139 -6%
Missouri 17 0.123 -17%
Michigan 25 0.122 -17%
Kentucky 12 0.120 -19%
Alabama 13 0.119 -19%
Texas 100 0.113 -23%
California 96 0.105 -29%
Mississippi 5 0.088 -40%
Florida 39 0.082 -44%
Washington 11 0.067 -54%
Wisconsin 7 0.059 -60%
Louisiana 5 0.049 -67%
Indiana 5 0.031 -79%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Brendan

Brendan is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,098 in 2025 with 195 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1912, 92,141 American babies have been named Brendan. Its peak came in 1999, when 4,005 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

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

How old are people named Brendan?

The median living Brendan is about 28 years old; half are between 21 and 37. An estimated 88 thousand people named Brendan are alive in the United States today.

median 28 020406080100

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

Brendan 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 – – 195 #1,098
2024 – – 222 #1,009
2023 – – 262 #888
2022 – – 269 #881
2021 – – 327 #767
2020 – – 344 #722
2019 – – 422 #638
2018 – – 490 #562
2017 – – 560 #517
2016 – – 688 #450
2015 – – 826 #387
2014 – – 922 #352
2013 – – 1,009 #326
2012 – – 1,149 #301
2011 – – 1,315 #263
2010 – – 1,527 #231
2009 – – 1,762 #212
2008 8 #12,781 1,887 #207
2007 – – 1,927 #205
2006 – – 2,171 #185
2005 7 #13,237 2,360 #176
2004 17 #6,832 2,719 #150
2003 5 #16,162 2,867 #141
2002 10 #9,601 3,141 #124
2001 5 #15,730 3,345 #115
2000 10 #9,269 3,657 #101
1995 11 #7,585 2,692 #133
1990 9 #8,574 1,996 #155
1985 11 #6,068 1,382 #185
1980 11 #5,954 1,102 #219
1975 6 #8,094 654 #292
1970 – – 568 #336
1965 – – 307 #439
1960 – – 217 #538
1955 – – 98 #736
1950 – – 61 #880
1945 – – 48 #928
1940 – – 32 #1,185
1935 – – 34 #1,127
1930 – – 21 #1,606
1925 – – 20 #1,748
1920 – – 11 #2,622
1915 – – 7 #3,124
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Brendan

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

  1. 1 Brendan Fraser Brendan Fraser American and Canadian actor (born 1968) Contemporary
  2. 2 Brendan Gleeson Brendan Gleeson Irish actor and director (born 1955) Contemporary
  3. 3 Brendan Rodgers Brendan Rodgers Northern Irish football manager (born 1973) Contemporary
  4. 4 Brendan Coyle Brendan Coyle British and Irish actor (born 1962) b. 1963 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Brendan Hines Brendan Hines American actor (born 1976) Contemporary
  6. 6 Brendan Eich Brendan Eich American programmer and tech executive (born 1961) Contemporary
  7. 7 Brendan Shanahan Brendan Shanahan Canadian ice hockey player and executive (born 1969) Contemporary
  8. 8 Brendan Fehr Brendan Fehr Canadian film and television actor b. 1977 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Brendan Behan Brendan Behan Irish poet and writer (1923–1964) Contemporary
  10. 10 Brendan Haywood Brendan Haywood American basketball player (born 1979) Contemporary
  11. 11 Brendan Benson Brendan Benson American musician (born 1970) Contemporary
  12. 12 Brendan Galloway Brendan Galloway Zimbabwean footballer (born 1996) Contemporary
  13. 13 Brendan O'Brien American record producer (born 1960) Contemporary
  14. 14 Brendan Murray Brendan Murray Irish singer (born 1996) Contemporary
  15. 15 Brendan Hansen Brendan Hansen American swimmer (born 1981) Contemporary
  16. 16 Brendan Topics referred to by the same term 484–578 · Antiquity
  17. 17 Brendan Christian Antigua and Barbuda sprinter (born 1983) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Brendan?

The median living Brendan is about 28 years old. Half of all living Brendans are between 21 and 37 years old.

How many people named Brendan are alive today?

An estimated 88 thousand people named Brendan are alive in the United States, based on 92,141 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Brendan mean?

Anglicized form of the name of Irish saints, Irish Bréanainn (via Latin Brendanus), from Old Irish Brénainn, from Old Welsh breenhin (“prince, king”), ultimately from Proto-Celtic *brigantīnos (“(someone) preeminent,…

How popular is the name Brendan in 2025?

Brendan ranked #1,098 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 195 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Brendan?

92,141 babies have been named Brendan in the United States since 1912, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Brendan most popular?

Brendan peaked in 1999, when 4,005 newborns received the name.

Is Brendan a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Brendan rising or falling?

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

Will Brendan become more popular?

Brendan is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 134 boys named Brendan 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 Brendan?

Well-known people named Brendan include Brendan Fraser (actor), Brendan Gleeson (actor), Brendan Rodgers (coach).

Names like Brendan

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

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