Brendan
Last seen for girls in 2008 at #12,579 · #1,097 for boys in 2025, 195 births
Given to boys 99.6% of the time
Showing
- Peak · boys
- 1999 · 3,995 births
- Debut · boys
- 9 births
- In top 100 · boys
- 2 yrsof 146 years
- Total births · boys
- 91,816since 1912
Brendan over time
boys
Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | — | #1,097 | 195 | |
| 2024 | — | #1,009 | 222 | |
| 2023 | — | #887 | 262 | |
| 2022 | — | #881 | 269 | |
| 2021 | — | #765 | 327 | |
| 2020 | — | #722 | 344 | |
| 2019 | — | #637 | 422 | |
| 2018 | — | #561 | 490 | |
| 2017 | — | #517 | 560 | |
| 2016 | — | #450 | 688 | |
| 2015 | — | #387 | 826 | |
| 2014 | — | #352 | 922 | |
| 2013 | — | #326 | 1,009 | |
| 2012 | — | #301 | 1,149 | |
| 2011 | — | #263 | 1,315 | |
| 2010 | — | #231 | 1,527 | |
| 2009 | — | #212 | 1,762 | |
| 2008 | #12,579 | 8 | #207 | 1,887 |
| 2007 | — | #205 | 1,927 | |
| 2006 | — | #185 | 2,171 | |
| 2005 | #13,010 | 7 | #176 | 2,360 |
| 2004 | #6,768 | 17 | #150 | 2,719 |
| 2003 | #15,784 | 5 | #141 | 2,867 |
| 2002 | #9,482 | 10 | #124 | 3,141 |
| 2001 | #15,352 | 5 | #115 | 3,345 |
| 2000 | #9,163 | 10 | #101 | 3,657 |
| 1999 | #8,805 | 10 | #96 | 3,995 |
| 1998 | #8,584 | 10 | #99 | 3,879 |
| 1997 | #7,283 | 12 | #107 | 3,621 |
| 1996 | #5,771 | 16 | #131 | 2,817 |
| 1995 | #7,514 | 11 | #133 | 2,692 |
| 1994 | #8,122 | 10 | #129 | 2,731 |
| 1993 | #4,998 | 19 | #145 | 2,302 |
| 1992 | #7,067 | 12 | #145 | 2,299 |
| 1991 | — | #147 | 2,189 | |
| 1990 | #8,501 | 9 | #155 | 1,996 |
| 1989 | #6,160 | 13 | #145 | 2,146 |
| 1988 | #5,895 | 13 | #153 | 1,796 |
| 1987 | #4,660 | 17 | #156 | 1,808 |
| 1986 | #4,724 | 16 | #185 | 1,401 |
| 1985 | #6,031 | 11 | #185 | 1,382 |
| 1984 | #4,966 | 14 | #188 | 1,332 |
| 1983 | #8,047 | 7 | #191 | 1,276 |
| 1982 | #7,469 | 8 | #206 | 1,198 |
| 1981 | — | #215 | 1,157 | |
| 1980 | #5,912 | 11 | #219 | 1,102 |
| 1979 | #10,210 | 5 | #230 | 991 |
| 1978 | #7,649 | 7 | #233 | 895 |
| 1977 | #5,888 | 10 | #258 | 768 |
| 1976 | — | #244 | 825 | |
| 1975 | #7,984 | 6 | #292 | 654 |
| 1974 | #5,011 | 11 | #292 | 631 |
| 1973 | — | #319 | 552 | |
| 1972 | — | #343 | 503 | |
| 1971 | — | #336 | 543 | |
| 1970 | — | #335 | 568 | |
| 1969 | — | #364 | 470 | |
| 1968 | #7,016 | 5 | #349 | 496 |
| 1967 | — | #356 | 444 | |
| 1966 | — | #339 | 489 | |
| 1965 | — | #439 | 307 | |
| 1964 | — | #466 | 288 | |
| 1963 | — | #513 | 245 | |
| 1962 | — | #510 | 240 | |
| 1961 | — | #513 | 241 | |
| 1960 | — | #538 | 217 | |
| 1959 | — | #586 | 178 | |
| 1958 | — | #685 | 123 | |
| 1957 | — | #639 | 144 | |
| 1956 | — | #692 | 114 | |
| 1955 | — | #736 | 98 | |
| 1954 | — | #892 | 68 | |
| 1953 | — | #813 | 78 | |
| 1952 | — | #863 | 66 | |
| 1951 | — | #949 | 54 | |
| 1950 | — | #878 | 61 | |
| 1949 | — | #967 | 51 | |
| 1948 | — | #972 | 51 | |
| 1947 | — | #1,159 | 39 | |
| 1946 | — | #952 | 49 | |
| 1945 | — | #927 | 48 | |
| 1944 | — | #1,055 | 39 | |
| 1943 | — | #897 | 55 | |
| 1942 | — | #1,119 | 37 | |
| 1941 | — | #971 | 43 | |
| 1940 | — | #1,183 | 32 | |
| 1939 | — | #1,141 | 32 | |
| 1938 | — | #1,125 | 33 | |
| 1937 | — | #1,074 | 36 | |
| 1936 | — | #989 | 40 | |
| 1935 | — | #1,123 | 34 | |
| 1934 | — | #1,150 | 33 | |
| 1933 | — | #1,361 | 24 | |
| 1932 | — | #1,387 | 25 | |
| 1931 | — | #2,328 | 11 | |
| 1930 | — | #1,602 | 21 | |
| 1929 | — | #1,848 | 17 | |
| 1928 | — | #1,822 | 18 | |
| 1927 | — | #1,871 | 18 | |
| 1926 | — | #1,787 | 19 | |
| 1925 | — | #1,745 | 20 | |
| 1924 | — | #1,964 | 17 | |
| 1923 | — | #1,696 | 21 | |
| 1922 | — | #2,143 | 15 | |
| 1921 | — | #2,986 | 9 | |
| 1920 | — | #2,602 | 11 | |
| 1919 | — | #1,973 | 16 | |
| 1918 | — | #2,699 | 10 | |
| 1917 | — | #2,280 | 12 | |
| 1916 | — | #2,543 | 10 | |
| 1915 | — | #3,082 | 7 | |
| 1914 | — | #1,772 | 13 | |
| 1913 | — | #2,092 | 8 | |
| 1912 | — | #1,746 | 9 | |
| 1911 | — | — | ||
| 1910 | — | — | ||
| 1909 | — | — | ||
| 1908 | — | — | ||
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| 1883 | — | — | ||
| 1882 | — | — | ||
| 1881 | — | — | ||
| 1880 | — | — | ||
First appearance
1912
The first year at least five boys were named Brendan! It came in at #1,746, and was given to 9 baby boys.
Quietest stretch: 1915–1916, when fewer than 11 boys a year got the name.
Where Brendan is popular in 1981
- Rank in state
- Top 10
- 11–50
- 51–100
- 101–500
- 501+
- Not published
Hover or tap a state for its numbers.
Top states · boys
- Massachusetts#55 · 1 in 293
- Rhode Island#60 · 1 in 317
- Connecticut#61 · 1 in 336
- New Hampshire#66 · 1 in 323
- District of Columbia#74 · 1 in 361
Best ever in a state: #26 in Michigan, 1998.
Show every state
| State | Rank | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | #55 | 122 | 1 in 293 |
| Rhode Island | #60 | 18 | 1 in 317 |
| Connecticut | #61 | 53 | 1 in 336 |
| New Hampshire | #66 | 19 | 1 in 323 |
| District of Columbia | #74 | 22 | 1 in 361 |
| New York | #97 | 186 | 1 in 610 |
| Vermont | #104 | 6 | 1 in 535 |
| Pennsylvania | #127 | 77 | 1 in 1,005 |
| Maryland | #142 | 26 | 1 in 930 |
| New Jersey | #144 | 41 | 1 in 1,036 |
| Washington | #151 | 29 | 1 in 1,095 |
| Oregon | #154 | 19 | 1 in 1,056 |
| Minnesota | #164 | 21 | 1 in 1,564 |
| Virginia | #164 | 32 | 1 in 1,080 |
| Ohio | #173 | 53 | 1 in 1,521 |
| Iowa | #182 | 13 | 1 in 1,679 |
| Colorado | #196 | 17 | 1 in 1,402 |
| Michigan | #198 | 37 | 1 in 1,773 |
| Illinois | #216 | 57 | 1 in 1,485 |
| Missouri | #223 | 17 | 1 in 2,154 |
| Wisconsin | #224 | 13 | 1 in 2,665 |
| Hawaii | #234 | 6 | 1 in 1,137 |
| California | #245 | 119 | 1 in 1,688 |
| Indiana | #250 | 15 | 1 in 2,674 |
| Kansas | #257 | 8 | 1 in 2,271 |
| Arizona | #318 | 9 | 1 in 2,575 |
| Florida | #348 | 21 | 1 in 2,998 |
| Oklahoma | #378 | 6 | 1 in 3,925 |
| South Carolina | #433 | 5 | 1 in 4,222 |
| Texas | #504 | 26 | 1 in 5,297 |
| Louisiana | #507 | 7 | 1 in 5,237 |
| North Carolina | #529 | 5 | 1 in 7,566 |
| Georgia | #547 | 6 | 1 in 6,710 |
| Alabama | — | — | — |
| Alaska | — | — | — |
| Arkansas | — | — | — |
| Delaware | — | — | — |
| Idaho | — | — | — |
| Kentucky | — | — | — |
| Maine | — | — | — |
| Mississippi | — | — | — |
| Montana | — | — | — |
| Nebraska | — | — | — |
| Nevada | — | — | — |
| New Mexico | — | — | — |
| North Dakota | — | — | — |
| South Dakota | — | — | — |
| Tennessee | — | — | — |
| Utah | — | — | — |
| West Virginia | — | — | — |
| Wyoming | — | — | — |
Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.
See more about Brendan
Momentum · boys
Falling
- 88 spots since 2024 (#1,009 → #1,097)
- 375 spots since 2020 (#722 → #1,097)
- 710 spots since 2015 (#387 → #1,097)
- Biggest jump: 222 spots in 1943 (#1,119 → #897)
- Biggest drop: 207 spots in 1947 (#952 → #1,159)
Rise & fade · boys
87 yrs to peak
- Debuted 1912
- Peaked 1999 at #96 (3,995 births)
- Births halved by 2007, 8 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 2 yrs
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: 2 yrs · run 1998–1999
- Top 1,000: 81 yrs · run 1948–2023
Share of babies · boys
1 in 481
- Highest: 1 in 481 boys born in 1999 were named Brendan (0.21%)
- Latest: 1 in 8,759 boys born in 2025 (0.01%)
Era · boys
The 1990s
- 31.1% of all boys named Brendan (28,521) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 85 | #1,746 (1912) | #2,273 |
| 1920s | 165 | #1,696 (1923) | #2,046 |
| 1930s | 289 | #989 (1936) | #1,328 |
| 1940s | 444 | #897 (1943) | #1,020 |
| 1950s | 984 | #586 (1959) | #773 |
| 1960s | 3,437 | #339 (1966) | #439 |
| 1970s | 6,930 | #230 (1979) | #288 |
| 1980s | 14,598 | #145 (1989) | #184 |
| 1990s | 28,521 | #96 (1999) | #129 |
| 2000s | 25,836 | #101 (2000) | #162 |
| 2010s | 8,908 | #231 (2010) | #403 |
| 2020s | 1,619 | #722 (2020) | #894 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
Brendan in 1981
boys
#215
1,157 births · 1 in 1,548 boys
Top boys' names in 1981
More about 1981
boys
1,791,177 boys got a published name in 1981; 1 in 1,548 of them was named Brendan, which outranked 97.1% of the 7,289 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).
Ranked beside Brendan
Biggest movers since 1980
Risers
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.