Brennan
Brennan and Braonán are masculine given names, but Brennan can be a feminine given name. The given name Brennan is considered to be mainly an Irish or Gaelic name. The Gaelic personal name Braonán is derived from the Irish braon, meaning "sorrow". An alternative derivation is from the personal name Branán, a diminutive of the word bran, meaning "raven".
- English
Meaning & Origin of Brennan
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Brennan and Braonán are masculine given names, but Brennan can be a feminine given name. The given name Brennan is considered to be mainly an Irish or Gaelic name. The Gaelic personal name Braonán is derived from the Irish braon, meaning "sorrow". An alternative derivation is from the personal name Branán, a diminutive of the word bran, meaning "raven".
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Brennan
As a girl name
Brennan first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1973, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2007, when 100 Brennans were born — ranking #2,034 that year. As of 2026, Brennan ranks #7,679 for girls with 13 births, falling sharply (-48%). In total, more than 2K Brennans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Brennan first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1916, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2009, when 1,464 Brennans were born — ranking #242 that year. As of 2026, Brennan ranks #1,186 for boys with 174 births, falling sharply (-43%). In total, more than 33K Brennans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Brennan
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Brennan Bernardino (born 1992), American baseball player
- Brennan Boesch (born 1985), American baseball player
- Brennan Brown (born 1968), American film and television actor
- Brennan Carroll (born 1979), American football coach
- Brennan Clost (born 1994), Canadian dancer and actor
- Brennan Curtin (born 1980), American football offensive tackle
- Brennan Elliott (born 1975), Canadian actor
- Brennan Evans (born 1982), Canadian ice hockey player
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Brennan
Phonetically similar names — useful when Brennan 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 Brennan
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About the name Brennan
Brennan is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1916 and has accumulated 33K births in the dataset. Brennan's peak popularity came in 2009 when it ranked #242. Use the chart and map above to compare Brennan's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2009 →
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- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.