Boy · #258 in 2026

Brandon

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

Brandon is a masculine given name that is a transferred use of a surname and place name derived from the Old English brōm, meaning broom or gorse, and dūn, meaning hill. It is also sometimes a variant of the Irish masculine given name, Breandán, meaning "prince".

Current Rank

#258

Peak Rank

#6 (1992)

Total Babies

772K

5-Yr Trend

-44%

1954

First Year

2019

Last Year

1985

Peak Year

#662

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Brandon

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

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

The Story of Brandon

Brandon first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1914, with 11 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1992, when 29,627 Brandons were born — ranking #6 that year. As of 2026, Brandon ranks #258 for baby boys with 1,345 births, falling sharply (-44%). In total, more than 772K Brandons have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Brandon

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

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Brandon

What does the name Brandon mean?

How popular is Brandon in 2026?

In 2026, Brandon ranks #258 among boys' names in the U.S., with 1,345 babies given the name that year.

When was Brandon most popular?

Brandon reached its peak popularity in 1992, ranking #6 that year with 29,627 babies given the name.

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

Brandon has historically been most popular in Nevada, Louisiana, Florida. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Brandon.

Is Brandon a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Brandon?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Brandon include Frank, Henry, Benjamin. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Brandon

Brandon is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1914 and has accumulated 772K births in the dataset. Brandon's peak popularity came in 1992 when it ranked #6. Use the chart and map above to compare Brandon'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.