Boy · #10,774 in 2026

Brain

Name: Popularity of the name Brain in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Brain, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

The brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head (cephalization), usually near organs for special senses such as vision, hearing, and olfaction.

Current Rank

#10,774

Peak Rank

#632 (1982)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1977

First Year

1985

Last Year

1977

Peak Year

#9651

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Brain

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Origin & history

See also: History of neuroscience The oldest brain to have been discovered was in Armenia in the Areni-1 cave complex . The brain, estimated to be over 5,000 years old, was found in the skull of a 12 to 14-year-old girl. Although the brains were shriveled, they were well preserved due to the climate found inside the cave. Early philosophers were divided as to whether the seat of the soul lies in the brain or heart. Aristotle favored the heart, and thought that the function of the brain was merely to cool the blood. Democritus , the inventor of the atomic theory of matter, argued for a three-pa

The Story of Brain

Brain first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1950, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1982, when 189 Brains were born — ranking #632 that year. As of 2026, Brain ranks #10,774 for baby boys with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 5K Brains have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Brain

Phonetically similar names — useful when Brain is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Brane
Braine
Brown
Brawn
Brine
Bran
Bron
Braun
Brun
Brin
Bren
Bruhn

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Brain

What does the name Brain mean?

How popular is Brain in 2026?

In 2026, Brain ranks #10,774 among boys' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Brain most popular?

Brain reached its peak popularity in 1982, ranking #632 that year with 189 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Brain most popular?

Brain has historically been most popular in Minnesota, Kansas, Washington. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Brain.

Is Brain a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Brain is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Brain?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Brain include Clovis, Fidel, Gaetano. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Brain

Brain is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1950 and has accumulated 5K births in the dataset. Brain's peak popularity came in 1982 when it ranked #632. Use the chart and map above to compare Brain's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.