girl's name
Brenda
BREN-duh
- Origin Norse
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 618,911
Northern Ireland
#393
2000 births
Brenda is a girl's name from an Old Norse word for a sword or a torch, and it appears to have been invented for a novel — Walter Scott used it in The Pirate in 1822, and no earlier use is recorded.
- Brenda is a name of Norse origin.
- Peaked in 1957, when 24,395 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 23,852 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1897.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Brenda over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1890s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 7 |
| 1900s | 32 |
| 1910s | 180 |
| 1920s | 469 |
| 1930s | 4,399 |
| 1940s | 112,724 |
| 1950s | 209,689 |
| 1960s | 165,013 |
| 1970s | 48,797 |
| 1980s | 24,505 |
| 1990s | 25,156 |
| 2000s | 14,389 |
| 2010s | 4,142 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,095 |
What Brenda means
Brenda means sword, or flaming torch. The Norse element behind it refers to a burning brand, which gives both the blade and the fire readings.
Where Brenda comes from
Brenda is generally derived from the Old Norse brandr, meaning a burning brand and, by transfer, a sword blade — the same element that gives the English brand. It is often described as the feminine of Brandr, though there is little evidence of it before Walter Scott used it for a Shetland character in The Pirate in 1822. Shetland's naming was heavily Norse, so Scott may have taken a genuine local name or he may have built one that sounded right; the record does not settle it. Either way its life as a widely used name begins in the nineteenth century and belongs to Britain and America rather than to Scandinavia.
Brenda in use
Brenda peaked in the United States in 1957, when 24,395 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now charts in only two of our seven markets — 1528th in the United States on 139 births and 6476th in France — across 618,911 lifetime births. That narrow reach places it with Susan, Donna and Jeffrey among names whose entire life was a single mid-century American generation.
How popular is Brenda?
In 2025, Brenda was given to 139 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Brenda 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 Brenda
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Brenda also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Brenda over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Brenda
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Brenda 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.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Brendaliz
Sibling names for Brenda
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Brenda — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Brenda
What does the name Brenda mean?
Sword or flaming torch, from the Old Norse brandr, a burning brand.
Who invented the name Brenda?
Walter Scott used it in The Pirate in 1822 and no earlier use is recorded, though he may have taken a genuine Shetland name.
Is Brenda the feminine of Brendan?
No. Brendan is Irish, from a Welsh word for a prince, and is unrelated.
How popular is Brenda?
1528th in the United States, down from a 1957 peak of 24,395 births.
Is Brenda a girl's or a boy's name?
Brenda is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Brenda?
Brenda has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Brenda?
Brenda is usually shortened to Bren.
Is Brenda a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Brenda currently ranks #1,528 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.