Total births
83,060
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.
- #4077
- among boys today
- 83,060
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 71%
- more common than other boys
Brad currently ranks #4077 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 #4077 nationally today, ahead of 71% 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.
- #4077 among boys today
- 83,060 born since 1880
- 1970s peak decade
- 71% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Brad is currently the #4077 boys' name in America, more common than 71% of boys - 83,060 born since 1880, peaking in the 1970s.
- #4077
- among boys today
- 83,060
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 71%
- more common than other boys
Brad vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#4077
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 71% of names given to boys today.
1970s
Peak decade
27% of everyone ever named Brad was born in this single decade.
1960
Single peak year
2,644 babies were named Brad in 1960 - its busiest year on record.
How Brad compares
83,060 Top 2% higher than 98% of 14,294 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 226x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Brad | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 83,060 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 2,644 | 23 | 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 at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1960
Current rank
#4,077
Active since
1880
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
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% |
California share of Brad's total US births 8.7%
Even split
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? ▼
Brad has been given to 83,060 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #4077 as of the latest data. 2,644 babies were born in 1960, its single highest year.
When was Brad most popular? ▼
Brad was most popular in the 1970s decade with 22,617 total births. The single peak year was 1960.
Where is Brad most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Brad are California (7,235 births), Ohio (5,186 births), Illinois (4,867 births).
How long has the name Brad been used? ▼
Brad has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Brad? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Brandon, Bradley, Brayden, Brady, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
Brandon Boy
#230 770,509 births
Bradley Boy
#362 313,008 births
Brayden Boy
#190 136,548 births
Brady Boy
#309 96,770 births
Braxton Boy
#170 65,831 births
Compare Brad side by side: Brad vs Brandon Brad vs Bradley Brad vs Brayden
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Brad
Lucious #4076
4,831 births · Peak 1926
Lavern #4078
10,236 births · Peak 1924
Sydney #4075
9,404 births · Peak 1916
Gaston #4079
4,053 births · Peak 1918
Grover #4074
27,113 births · Peak 1884
Shep #4080
235 births · Peak 2023
Rufus #4073
36,074 births · Peak 1922
Isac #4081
3,203 births · Peak 2006
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Brad: #4077 Boys' Name - 83,060 Births, Peak 1960." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/brad. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 June 2026.