Brad
Brad is a given name, usually a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Bradley, Bradford, or Brady. It is generally masculine. Notable people with the name include:
Meaning & Origin of Brad
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Brad is a given name, usually a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Bradley, Bradford, or Brady. It is generally masculine. Notable people with the name include:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Brad
Brad first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1960, when 2,647 Brads were born — ranking #134 that year. As of 2026, Brad ranks #4,566 for baby boys with 22 births, falling sharply (-42%). In total, more than 83K Brads have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Brad
Phonetically similar names — useful when Brad is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Bread
- Bride
- Broad
- Breed
- Brat
- Brood
- Braid
- Bred
- Brewed
- Brid
- Braud
- Brod
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Brad
What does the name Brad mean?
How popular is Brad in 2026?
When was Brad most popular?
In which U.S. states is Brad most popular?
Is Brad a unisex name?
What names go well with Brad?
About the name Brad
Brad is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 83K births in the dataset. Brad's peak popularity came in 1960 when it ranked #98. Use the chart and map above to compare Brad's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1960 →
- Names of the 1960s →
- Names starting with "B" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.