Girl · #1,161 in 2026

Brenda

Brenda is a feminine given name in the English language.

Current Rank
#1,161
Peak Rank
#11 (1957)
Total Babies
609K
5-Yr Trend
-15%
1897
First Year
2026
Last Year
1957
Peak Year
#11
Peak Rank
609K
Total Count
123
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Brenda

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

Brenda is a feminine given name in the English language.

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

Origin & history
The overall accepted origin for the female name Brenda is the Old Nordic male name Brandr meaning both torch and sword : evidently the male name Brandr took root in areas of the British Isles under Nordic dominance and through being heard as "Brenda" was eventually adopted as a female name. The name Brenda was probably influenced by Gaelic male name Brendan : although linguistically it is unlikely that the name Brendan would yield the name Brenda as its feminine form, the name Brenda is widely considered a feminine form of the name Brendan in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

The Story of Brenda

Brenda first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1897, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1957, when 24,338 Brendas were born — ranking #13 that year. As of 2026, Brenda ranks #1,161 for baby girls with 206 births, falling sharply (-15%). In total, more than 609K Brendas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1890s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Notable people named Brenda

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

  • Brenda, the pen name of English writer Georgina Castle Smith (1845–1933)
  • Brenda Agüero (born 1995), Argentine nurse and serial killer
  • Brenda Archer (born 1942), Guyanese high jumper
  • Brenda Austin (born 1981), Argentine politician
  • Brenda Bailey , Canadian politician
  • Brenda C. Barnes (1953–2017), American businesswoman
  • Brenda Beenhakker (born 1977), Dutch badminton player
  • Brenda Bell (1891–1979), pioneer amateur radio operator from New Zealand

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

Names that sound like Brenda

Phonetically similar names — useful when Brenda 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 Brenda

What does the name Brenda mean?
Brenda is a feminine given name in the English language.
How popular is Brenda in 2026?
In 2026, Brenda ranks #1,161 among girls' names in the U.S., with 206 babies given the name that year.
When was Brenda most popular?
Brenda reached its peak popularity in 1957, ranking #11 that year with 24,338 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Brenda most popular?
Brenda has historically been most popular in Kansas, Wyoming, Alabama. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Brenda.
Is Brenda a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Brenda is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Brenda?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Brenda include Edna, Gladys, Judy. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

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About the name Brenda

Brenda is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1897 and has accumulated 609K births in the dataset. Brenda's peak popularity came in 1957 when it ranked #11. Use the chart and map above to compare Brenda'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.