Total births
106,559
Girls' name · since 1942
Brandy
Since 1942, U.S. Social Security records show 106,559 babies named Brandy, peaking in 1981. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #3242
- among girls today
- 106,559
- born since 1942
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 82%
- more common than other girls
Brandy currently ranks #3242 among girls' names in America, with 106,559 babies recorded since 1942.
Brandy has 106,559 recorded births among girls since 1942, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3242 as of the latest data, more common than 82% of girls, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1942 to 2025.
- #3242 among girls today
- 106,559 born since 1942
- 1980s peak decade
- 82% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Brandy is currently the #3242 girls' name in America, more common than 82% of girls - 106,559 born since 1942, peaking in the 1980s.
- #3242
- among girls today
- 106,559
- born since 1942
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 82%
- more common than other girls
Brandy vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#3242
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 82% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
42% of everyone ever named Brandy was born in this single decade.
1981
Single peak year
6,898 babies were named Brandy in 1981 - its busiest year on record.
How Brandy compares
106,559 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Brandy's all-time total is 279x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Brandy | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 106,559 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 6,898 | 48 | 19,840 |
Brandy's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Brandy's SSA record in two at 1984 and the more recent half accounts for 38% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 62%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1946, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1981 peak of 6,898, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Brandy at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1981
Current rank
#3,242
Active since
1942
Brandy popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1942–2025
- Peak year (1981)
- 6,898
- Annual births at peak, across 84 years of records
Brandy popularity over time - boys
2,302 total births recorded since 1951 (Brandy as boys' name)
Brandy by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Brandy's strongest decade.
44,527 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 42% of all-time use.
Brandy births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 64
1940s
64 births
- 1950s 202
1950s
202 births
- 1960s 1,242
1960s
1,242 births
- 1970s
1970s
40,070 births
- 1980s
1980s
44,527 births
- 1990s 14,909
1990s
14,909 births
- 2000s 4,254
2000s
4,254 births
- 2010s 998
2010s
998 births
- 2020s 293
2020s
293 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 44,527 births (42% of all-time use).
How Brandy compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Brandy's total volume
Brandy vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Brandy by state
Where Brandy concentrates geographically, total births since 1942
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 10,304 | 9.7% |
| #2 | California | | 9,250 | 8.7% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 6,032 | 5.7% |
| #4 | Florida | | 4,727 | 4.4% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 4,536 | 4.3% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 4,352 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Tennessee | | 4,132 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Louisiana | | 4,060 | 3.8% |
Texas share of Brandy's total US births 9.7%
Even split
10,304 of 106,559 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Brandy appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Brandy? ▼
Since 1942, Social Security records show 106,559 babies named Brandy. Today it holds rank #3242 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1981, with 6,898 births.
When was Brandy most popular? ▼
Brandy was most popular in the 1980s decade with 44,527 total births. The single peak year was 1981.
Where is Brandy most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Brandy are Texas (10,304 births), California (9,250 births), Ohio (6,032 births).
How long has the name Brandy been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Brandy since 1942 -- 84 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Brandy? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Brandi, Brandie, Braelyn, Braelynn, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Brandy's data
- Brandy's decade-level peak was the 1980s (44,527 total births); usage has since declined to 293 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Brandys (10,304 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas 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 Brandy
Nearby Names Like Brandy
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Brandy
Brandi Girl
#4318 101,906 births
Brandie Girl
#12356 15,839 births
Braelyn Girl
#1074 10,972 births
Braelynn Girl
#810 9,829 births
Braylee Girl
#1178 6,842 births
Compare Brandy side by side: Brandy vs Brandi Brandy vs Brandie Brandy vs Braelyn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Brandy
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, 1942–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Brandy: #3242 Girls' Name - 106,559 Births, Peak 1981." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/brandy. 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 Brandy 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.