Boys' name · since 1950
Brain
4,596 babies named Brain in U.S. Social Security records since 1950, with the highest year being 1982. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,889 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 4,596
- born since 1950
- 1970s
- peak decade
Brain sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 4,596 recorded since 1950.
Social Security Administration records show Brain recorded 4,596 times among boys since 1950, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used boys names, 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 1950 to 2017.
- #1,889 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 4,596 born since 1950
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Brain ranks #1,889 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 4,596 born since 1950, peaking in the 1970s.
- #1,889 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 4,596
- born since 1950
- 1970s
- peak decade
Brain's 4,596 recorded births place it above 95.84% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
29 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
Brain's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Brain splits its recorded history at 1985: 29% of all births land in the more recent half, 71% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1950 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1982 peak of 189 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Brain popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1950–2017
- Peak year (1982)
- 189
- Annual births at peak, across 68 years of records
Brain popularity over time - girls
10 total births recorded since 1977 (Brain as girls' name)
Brain by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (1,633 births, 36% of the file).
1970s was Brain's strongest decade.
1,633 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.
Brain births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 82
1950s
82 births
- 1960s
1960s
705 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,633 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,531 births
- 1990s 415
1990s
415 births
- 2000s 191
2000s
191 births
- 2010s 39
2010s
39 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 1,633 births (36% of all-time use).
How Brain 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 Brain's total volume
Brain by state
Where Brain concentrates geographically, total births since 1950
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 546 | 11.9% |
| #2 | New York | | 303 | 6.6% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 270 | 5.9% |
| #4 | Texas | | 196 | 4.3% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 179 | 3.9% |
| #6 | Florida | | 161 | 3.5% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 145 | 3.2% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 130 | 2.8% |
546 of 4,596 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 29 reporting states.
Brain appears in 29 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Brain's data
- Brain's decade-level peak was the 1970s (1,633 total births); usage has since declined to 39 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Brains (546 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 Brain
Nearby Names Like Brain
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Brain
Compare Brain side by side: Brain vs Brandon Brain vs Bradley Brain vs Brayden
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Brain: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1982)
Similar record span (~67 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, 1950–2017 (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 Brain 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.