How popular is the name Brendan?

Brendan ranks 251st among boys' names in US records, with 137,704 births since 1912. Over the past decade it accounts for 6,755.

Is Brendan a unisex name?

No. Brendan is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.

1999, when 6,133 children were given the name. It has been in use for 113 years and is still recorded as of 2024.

Brenden, Brendon. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.

Boy name#251 of boy names

Pronounced B R EH1 N D AH0 N (ARPABET)

Brendan is a boys' name, and first appears in 1912. It has been given to 137,704 children — the 251st most common boys' name on record.

It is falling away, down 75% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1999, when 6,133 children were given it.

Two other spellings are counted in that total — Brenden and Brendon — because they are pronounced identically.

1999Boys: 6,133Girls: 18

These spellings sound identical to Brendan and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.

Phonetic detail

Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.

Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.

Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.

How popular is the name Brendan?: Brendan ranks 251st among boys' names in US records, with 137,704 births since 1912. Over the past decade it accounts for 6,755.
Is Brendan a unisex name?: No. Brendan is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Brendan most popular?: 1999, when 6,133 children were given the name. It has been in use for 113 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
How else is Brendan spelled?: Brenden, Brendon. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.