boy's name
Brendan
BREN-dun
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 117,438
Ireland
#407
2025 births
Brendan is not Irish in origin — it comes from a Welsh word meaning a prince, borrowed into Irish, and its saint is credited with a transatlantic voyage six centuries before Columbus. We record 109,602 lifetime births for it, strongest in Ireland.
- Brendan is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in 1999, when 4,005 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 17,002 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1912.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Brendan 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 | 85 |
| 1920s | 165 |
| 1930s | 289 |
| 1940s | 444 |
| 1950s | 984 |
| 1960s | 3,442 |
| 1970s | 6,969 |
| 1980s | 14,708 |
| 1990s | 28,630 |
| 2000s | 25,898 |
| 2010s | 8,908 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,619 |
What Brendan means
Brendan means prince, from a Welsh word, or alternatively little raven from an Irish reading. The Welsh derivation is the better attested of the two.
Where Brendan comes from
Brendan is the Irish Bréanainn, borrowed from the Welsh breenhin, a prince or king — so a name that reads as unmistakably Irish is Brittonic underneath. The little raven reading comes from a separate Irish parsing and is weaker. Saint Brendan the Navigator's ninth-century voyage narrative describes an Atlantic crossing to a land in the west, and Tim Severin sailed a leather curragh from Ireland to Newfoundland in 1976 to show the account was at least physically possible.
Brendan in use
Brendan peaked in the United States in 1999, when 4,005 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 407th in Ireland on 9 births, 422nd in Northern Ireland, 638th in Scotland on 4, 1099th in the United States on 195 and 1621st in England and Wales on 16, across 117,438 lifetime births in six of the seven markets we track.
How popular is Brendan?
In 2025, Brendan was given to 195 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Brendan 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 Brendan
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Brendan also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Brendan over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Brendan
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.
Brendan 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 Brendan
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Brendan — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Brendan
What does the name Brendan mean?
Prince — from a Welsh word borrowed into Irish.
Is Brendan an Irish name?
It is Irish in use but Brittonic in origin, borrowed from Welsh.
Did Saint Brendan reach America?
The account describes a western land. Tim Severin sailed a leather boat to Newfoundland in 1976 to show it was possible.
Is Brandon the same name?
No — Brandon is an English place name meaning broom hill, and the two are unrelated.
How popular is the name Brendan?
In 2025, Brendan was given to 195 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Brendan a girl's or a boy's name?
Brendan is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Brendan?
Brendan has 2 syllables.
When was Brendan most popular?
Brendan peaked in 1999, when 4,005 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Brendan?
Brendan is usually shortened to Bren.
Is Brendan a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Brendan currently ranks #407 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.