Boys' name · since 1880
Brad
83,060 babies named Brad in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1960. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #357 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,252 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 83,060
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
Brad currently ranks #4252 among boys' names in America, with 83,060 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Brad recorded 83,060 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #4252 nationally today, ahead of 69% of boys, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #357 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #4,252 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 83,060 born since 1880
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Brad ranks #357 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,252 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 83,060 born since 1880, peaking in the 1970s.
- #357 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,252 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 83,060
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
Brad's 83,060 recorded births place it above 99.21% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Brad compares
83,060 Top 3% higher than 97% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Brad's all-time total is 225x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Brad | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 83,060 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 2,644 | 34 | 22,252 |
Brad's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Brad's full recorded timeline at 1973, 45% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 55% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1960 peak of 2,644 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Brad popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1960)
- 2,644
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Brad popularity over time - girls
233 total births recorded since 1955 (Brad as girls' name)
Brad by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (22,617 births, 27% of the file).
1970s was Brad's strongest decade.
22,617 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Brad births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 11
1880s
11 births
- 1910s 16
1910s
16 births
- 1920s 36
1920s
36 births
- 1930s 178
1930s
178 births
- 1940s 1,298
1940s
1,298 births
- 1950s
1950s
16,461 births
- 1960s
1960s
21,351 births
- 1970s
1970s
22,617 births
- 1980s
1980s
13,579 births
- 1990s 4,375
1990s
4,375 births
- 2000s 2,169
2000s
2,169 births
- 2010s 782
2010s
782 births
- 2020s 187
2020s
187 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 22,617 births (27% of all-time use).
How Brad compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Brad's total volume
Brad by state
Where Brad concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 7,235 | 8.7% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 5,186 | 6.2% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 4,867 | 5.9% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 4,634 | 5.6% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 4,321 | 5.2% |
| #6 | Texas | | 4,256 | 5.1% |
| #7 | New York | | 3,406 | 4.1% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 3,276 | 3.9% |
7,235 of 83,060 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Brad appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Brad? ▼
Where does Brad sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Brad most popular? ▼
Where is Brad most popular? ▼
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What to do with Brad's data
- Brad's decade-level peak was the 1970s (22,617 total births); usage has since declined to 187 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Brads (7,235 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Brad
Nearby Names Like Brad
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Brad
Compare Brad side by side: Brad vs Brandon Brad vs Bradley Brad vs Brayden
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Brad
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Brad: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1960)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Brad draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.