Brendan
The Latinized form of Old Irish Brénainn, which was borrowed from a Brythonic word for prince. Saint Brendan the Navigator made it familiar across Ireland.
Brendan in 2025
Brendan was given to 195 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 2,252nd most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 17,002 babies born.
The history of Brendan
Brendan reached its highest point in 1999, when 4,005 babies were given the name, ranking 175th that year.
Across the 114 years of records since 1912, 92,141 babies have been named Brendan. Half of them were born before 1997, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Z.
Brendan by decade
| Decade | Babies named Brendan | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 85 | 3,481 |
| 1920s | 165 | 3,423 |
| 1930s | 289 | 2,033 |
| 1940s | 444 | 1,900 |
| 1950s | 984 | 1,319 |
| 1960s | 3,442 | 750 |
| 1970s | 6,969 | 481 |
| 1980s | 14,708 | 286 |
| 1990s | 28,630 | 175 |
| 2000s | 25,898 | 193 |
| 2010s | 8,908 | 441 |
| 2020s | 1,619 | 1,501 |
Where Brendan is heading
Brendan has fallen 76% over the past decade, from 826 babies in 2015 to 195 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1999 peak — Brendan is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Brendan
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Brendan.