boy's name
Braden
BRAY-den
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 50,766
Northern Ireland
#486
2016 births
Braden means descendant of the salmon, and the fish is not decorative — the Salmon of Knowledge is the center of one of the best-known Irish stories, in which Fionn gains all wisdom by burning his thumb on it.
- Braden is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in 2005, when 3,058 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 18,117 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1916.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Braden over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 6 |
| 1920s | 19 |
| 1930s | 22 |
| 1940s | 44 |
| 1950s | 156 |
| 1960s | 271 |
| 1970s | 820 |
| 1980s | 2,357 |
| 1990s | 8,496 |
| 2000s | 24,209 |
| 2010s | 8,796 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,316 |
What Braden means
Braden means descendant of Bradán, a byname meaning a salmon. It records descent from a man nicknamed for the fish rather than describing the person carrying it.
Where Braden comes from
Braden anglicizes the Irish Ó Bradáin, descendant of Bradán — bradán being the ordinary Irish word for a salmon. The fish carried real weight: in the Fenian Cycle the Salmon of Knowledge holds all the wisdom in the world, and Fionn mac Cumhaill gains it by accident when he burns his thumb cooking the fish for someone else and sucks it. Its use as a given name is American and largely post-1990.
Braden in use
Braden peaked in the United States in 2005, when 3,058 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 1152nd in the United States on 183 births and 4130th in England and Wales on 5, across 50,766 lifetime births in three of the seven markets we track. Our records carry it from 1916, though nearly all of its volume falls after 1990.
How popular is Braden?
In 2025, Braden was given to 183 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Braden is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Braden
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Braden also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Braden over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Braden in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Braden
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Braden — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Braden
What does the name Braden mean?
Descendant of Bradán — bradán being the Irish for a salmon.
What is the Salmon of Knowledge?
A fish holding all the world's wisdom. Fionn gains it by burning his thumb while cooking it.
Is Brayden the same name?
Brayden belongs to the -aiden rhyming family and has no documented source. Braden is Irish.
How popular is Braden?
1152nd in the United States, down from a 2005 peak of 3,058 births.
Is Braden a girl's or a boy's name?
Braden is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Braden?
Braden has 2 syllables.
Is Braden a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Braden currently ranks #1,152 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.