Total births
833
Boys' name · since 1972
Brenan
Brenan has 833 recorded births since 1972 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2009 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- 833
- total births
- 1972–2021
- years on record
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 36%
- born in that decade
Brenan is not among the current top-ranked boys names; 833 have been recorded since 1972.
Brenan has 833 recorded births among boys since 1972, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1972 to 2021.
- 833 total births
- 1972–2021 years on record
- 2000s peak decade
- 36% born in that decade
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
833 boys have been named Brenan since 1972, peaking in the 2000s, last recorded in 2021.
- 833
- total births
- 1972–2021
- years on record
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 36%
- born in that decade
2000s
Peak decade
36% of everyone ever named Brenan was born in this single decade.
2009
Single peak year
42 babies were named Brenan in 2009 - its busiest year on record.
Brenan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Brenan splits its recorded history at 1999: 57% of all births land in the more recent half, 43% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1975 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2009 peak of 42 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Brenan at a glance
Last recorded 2021Peak year
2009
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1972
Brenan popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1972–2021
- Peak year (2009)
- 42
- Annual births at peak, across 50 years of records
Brenan by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Brenan's strongest decade.
296 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.
Brenan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 38
1970s
38 births
- 1980s 97
1980s
97 births
- 1990s
1990s
257 births
- 2000s
2000s
296 births
- 2010s
2010s
133 births
- 2020s 12
2020s
12 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 296 births (36% of all-time use).
How Brenan 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 Brenan's total volume
Brenan vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Brenan by state
Where Brenan concentrates geographically, total births since 1972
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 7 | 0.8% |
| #2 | California | | 5 | 0.6% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 5 | 0.6% |
| #4 | Utah | | 5 | 0.6% |
Texas share of Brenan's total US births 0.8%
Even split
7 of 833 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 4 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Brenan? ▼
Brenan has been given to 833 babies in the U.S. since 1972, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2021. 42 babies were born in 2009, its single highest year.
When was Brenan most popular? ▼
Brenan was most popular in the 2000s decade with 296 total births. The single peak year was 2009.
Where is Brenan most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Brenan are Texas (7 births), California (5 births), Illinois (5 births).
How long has the name Brenan been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Brenan since 1972 -- 50 years through the most recent 2021 data.
What names are similar to Brenan? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Brett, Brent, Brendan, Brennan, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Brenan's data
- Brenan's decade-level peak was the 2000s (296 total births); usage has since declined to 12 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Brenans (7 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 Brenan
Nearby Names Like Brenan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Brenan
Brett Boy
#1059 159,109 births
Brent Boy
#1653 139,799 births
Brendan Boy
#1010 91,816 births
Brennan Boy
#1058 33,258 births
Bret Boy
#4734 29,819 births
Compare Brenan side by side: Brenan vs Brett Brenan vs Brent Brenan vs Brendan
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of July 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, 1972–2021 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Brenan: Baby Name Since 1972 - 833 Births, Peak 2009." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/brenan. 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 Brenan 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 July 2026.