Unisex name ★ peaked 2009

Brennan

Meaning descendant of Braonán Gender Unisex · 6% girls Rank 2025 #1,003 Trend ↓ Falling 35%

From Irish Ó Braonáin (“descendant of Braonán”), a diminutive of braon (“moisture, drop”).

Rank 2025
#1,003
among boys · ↑54 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
236
named Brennan · +4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 7,558
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2009
1,550 babies
All-time total
35,487
#642 all-time among boys
First recorded
1916
in Social Security records

Brennan popularity over time

35,487 babies have been named Brennan since 1916, 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
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 5 5 1 – #3,972
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – 6 6 1 – #3,348
1950s – 80 80 8 +1233% #2,185
1960s – 394 394 39 +393% #945
1970s 74 934 1,008 101 +156% #741
1980s 254 2,719 2,973 297 +195% #422
1990s 574 8,300 8,874 887 +198% #270
2000s 649 11,745 12,394 1,239 +40% #242
2010s 545 7,625 8,170 817 -34% #270
2020s (to 2025) 133 1,450 1,583 264 -68% #764

Where Brennan 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 211 0.12 outside top 500
2027 199 0.12 outside top 500
2028 189 0.11 outside top 500
2029 181 0.11 outside top 500
2030 175 0.10 outside top 500

Where Brennan is most popular

Boys named Brennan per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.131 per 1,000. Strongest in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

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 Brennan 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
Louisiana 61 0.596 +354%
Mississippi 20 0.352 +168%
Tennessee 43 0.238 +81%
Virginia 43 0.227 +72%
Pennsylvania 56 0.211 +60%
Ohio 53 0.200 +52%
Illinois 50 0.196 +49%
North Carolina 47 0.184 +40%
Minnesota 21 0.171 +30%
West Virginia 5 0.153 +17%
Iowa 10 0.145 +10%
Massachusetts 18 0.131 ≈ national
Kentucky 12 0.120 -9%
Wisconsin 14 0.118 -10%
New York 50 0.115 -12%
Texas 98 0.111 -15%
Washington 18 0.110 -16%
New Jersey 22 0.109 -17%
Indiana 17 0.106 -19%
Missouri 14 0.101 -23%
Alabama 11 0.101 -23%
Florida 45 0.095 -28%
Maryland 11 0.092 -30%
Georgia 23 0.091 -31%
Oklahoma 7 0.079 -40%
Oregon 6 0.079 -40%
Arkansas 5 0.079 -40%
California 72 0.079 -40%
Colorado 10 0.077 -41%
South Carolina 7 0.068 -48%
Michigan 10 0.049 -63%
Arizona 6 0.037 -72%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Brennan

Brennan is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,003 in 2025 with 226 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1916, 35,487 American babies have been named Brennan, about 94% boys and 6% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2009, when 1,550 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

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

How old are people named Brennan?

The median living Brennan is about 22 years old; half are between 15 and 29. An estimated 35 thousand people named Brennan are alive in the United States today.

median 22 020406080100

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

Brennan 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 10 #9,557 226 #1,003
2024 19 #6,212 207 #1,057
2023 16 #6,987 213 #1,025
2022 26 #5,045 224 #995
2021 30 #4,528 265 #872
2020 32 #4,282 315 #764
2019 32 #4,359 340 #719
2018 30 #4,578 382 #661
2017 44 #3,493 464 #585
2016 35 #4,176 549 #534
2015 40 #3,783 690 #444
2014 57 #2,973 806 #387
2013 66 #2,665 927 #345
2012 73 #2,499 1,011 #318
2011 87 #2,175 1,177 #293
2010 81 #2,344 1,279 #270
2009 86 #2,272 1,464 #242
2008 83 #2,338 1,316 #263
2007 100 #2,039 1,207 #286
2006 69 #2,609 1,116 #299
2005 47 #3,271 1,054 #312
2004 63 #2,625 1,061 #300
2003 41 #3,479 1,127 #276
2002 58 #2,648 1,121 #273
2001 60 #2,545 1,121 #274
2000 42 #3,222 1,158 #276
1995 62 #2,160 916 #288
1990 41 #2,805 606 #383
1985 20 #3,995 253 #553
1980 23 #3,519 142 #737
1975 11 #5,192 102 #823
1970 – – 73 #932
1965 – – 36 #1,276
1960 – – 17 #1,978
1955 – – 10 #2,588
1950 – – 6 #3,364
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Brennan?

The median living Brennan is about 22 years old. Half of all living Brennans are between 15 and 29 years old.

How many people named Brennan are alive today?

An estimated 35 thousand people named Brennan are alive in the United States, based on 35,487 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Brennan mean?

From Irish Ó Braonáin (“descendant of Braonán”), a diminutive of braon (“moisture, drop”).

How popular is the name Brennan in 2025?

Brennan ranked #1,003 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 226 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Brennan?

35,487 babies have been named Brennan in the United States since 1916, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Brennan most popular?

Brennan peaked in 2009, when 1,550 newborns received the name.

Is Brennan a boy or girl name?

Brennan is used for both: about 6% of babies named Brennan have been girls and 94% boys.

Is the name Brennan rising or falling?

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

Will Brennan become more popular?

Brennan is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 175 boys named Brennan in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Brennan

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

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