Brenda
Recorded first in Shetland and the Northern Isles, it is generally traced to the Old Norse brandr, meaning sword or fire. Walter Scott's fiction spread it further.
Brenda in 2025
Brenda was given to 139 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 2,833rd most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 23,851 babies born.
The history of Brenda
Brenda reached its highest point in 1957, when 24,395 babies were given the name, ranking 32nd that year. Its best-ever ranking was 30th, in 1961.
Across the 129 years of records since 1897, 610,597 babies have been named Brenda. Half of them were born before 1958, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Brenda by decade
| Decade | Babies named Brenda | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1890s | 7 | 2,009 |
| 1900s | 32 | 2,212 |
| 1910s | 180 | 2,333 |
| 1920s | 469 | 1,698 |
| 1930s | 4,399 | 163 |
| 1940s | 112,724 | 31 |
| 1950s | 209,689 | 32 |
| 1960s | 165,013 | 30 |
| 1970s | 48,797 | 82 |
| 1980s | 24,505 | 222 |
| 1990s | 25,156 | 235 |
| 2000s | 14,389 | 364 |
| 2010s | 4,142 | 816 |
| 2020s | 1,095 | 2,163 |
Where Brenda is heading
Brenda has fallen 60% over the past decade, from 349 babies in 2015 to 139 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1957 peak — Brenda is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Brenda
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Brenda.