Boy · #1,094 in 2026

Brendan

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

Brendan is an Irish masculine given name in the English language. It is derived from the Gaelic name Breandán, which is in turn derived from the earlier Old Irish Brénainn. The Old Welsh breenhin is the root of the name, meaning 'prince' or 'king'. The mediaeval Latin form of the name, Brendanus, has also influenced the modern English and Irish forms. Variant spellings are Brendon and Brenden.

Irish
English
Breton

Current Rank

#1,094

Peak Rank

#96 (1999)

Total Babies

92K

5-Yr Trend

-46%

1968

First Year

2008

Last Year

1993

Peak Year

#4998

Peak Rank

325

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Brendan

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

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

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

Irish
English
Breton

Etymology

The English Brendan is an Anglicised form of the Irish Breandán , in turn derived from the Old Irish Brénainn . This Old Irish personal name (pronounced [br'ēn-in']) is derived from a borrowing of the Old Welsh word breenhín , meaning 'a prince'. Both the English form and the modern Irish form, Breandán , are based upon the mediaeval Latin form Brendanus . According to one old Irish text there are 17 saints with the name. When used in an Irish sentence it can mutate to take the form Bhreandán , for example A Bhreandáin or ..do Bhreandán . Variations of the Irish Breandán are Breanndán , Bhrean

The Story of Brendan

Brendan first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1912, with 9 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1999, when 3,994 Brendans were born — ranking #96 that year. As of 2026, Brendan ranks #1,094 for baby boys with 197 births, falling sharply (-46%). In total, more than 92K Brendans 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

Variants & Related Forms of Brendan

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Brendan. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Breandán
Brenden
Brendon

Notable people named Brendan

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

Saint Brendan of Clonfert ( c. 484 – c. 577 ), Irish monastic saint
Saint Brendan of Birr (died 573), Abbot of Birr in Co. Offaly, contemporaneous with the above
Brendan Adams (born 2000), American basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
Brendan Allen (born 1995), American mixed martial artist
Brendan Behan (1923–1964), Irish writer
Brendan Benson (born 1970), Detroit-area musician
Brendan Bracken (1901–1958), Irish emigrant to Britain, businessman, magazine publisher, newspaper editor, politician and government minister
Brendan Byrne (1924–2018), American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey

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

Names that sound like Brendan

Phonetically similar names — useful when Brendan 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 Brendan

What does the name Brendan mean?

What is the origin of the name Brendan?

Brendan has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Irish, English, Breton.

How popular is Brendan in 2026?

In 2026, Brendan ranks #1,094 among boys' names in the U.S., with 197 babies given the name that year.

When was Brendan most popular?

Brendan reached its peak popularity in 1999, ranking #96 that year with 3,994 babies given the name.

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

Brendan has historically been most popular in Michigan, Massachusetts, Connecticut. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Brendan.

Is Brendan a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Brendan?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Brendan include Mack, Jake, Max. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

What are nicknames or variants of Brendan?

Common variants and related forms of Brendan include Breandán, Brenden, Brendon. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Brendan

Brendan is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1912 and has accumulated 92K births in the dataset. Brendan's peak popularity came in 1999 when it ranked #96. Use the chart and map above to compare Brendan'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.