Girls' name · since 1897
Brenda
Since 1897, U.S. Social Security records show 608,478 babies named Brenda, peaking in 1957. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #43 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,526 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 608,478
- born since 1897
- 1950s
- peak decade
608,478 babies have been named Brenda since 1897, making it today's #1526 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Brenda recorded 608,478 times among girls since 1897, holding rank #1526 nationally today, ahead of 91% of girls, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1897 to 2025.
- #43 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,526 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 608,478 born since 1897
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Brenda ranks #43 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,526 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 608,478 born since 1897, peaking in the 1950s.
- #43 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,526 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 608,478
- born since 1897
- 1950s
- peak decade
Brenda's 608,478 recorded births place it above 99.94% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Brenda compares
608,478 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,297 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
Brenda's all-time total is 1,618x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Brenda | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 608,478 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 24,339 | 21 | 19,840 |
Brenda's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Brenda's full recorded timeline at 1965, 29% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 71% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1903, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1957 peak of 24,339 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Brenda popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1897–2025
- Peak year (1957)
- 24,339
- Annual births at peak, across 129 years of records
Brenda popularity over time - boys
2,119 total births recorded since 1939 (Brenda as boys' name)
Brenda by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (209,241 births, 34% of the file).
1950s was Brenda's strongest decade.
209,241 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 34% of all-time use.
Brenda births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 7
1890s
7 births
- 1900s 32
1900s
32 births
- 1910s 180
1910s
180 births
- 1920s 469
1920s
469 births
- 1930s 4,380
1930s
4,380 births
- 1940s
1940s
112,415 births
- 1950s
1950s
209,241 births
- 1960s
1960s
164,502 births
- 1970s 48,591
1970s
48,591 births
- 1980s 24,147
1980s
24,147 births
- 1990s 24,929
1990s
24,929 births
- 2000s 14,348
2000s
14,348 births
- 2010s 4,142
2010s
4,142 births
- 2020s 1,095
2020s
1,095 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 209,241 births (34% of all-time use).
How Brenda 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 Brenda's total volume
Brenda by state
Where Brenda concentrates geographically, total births since 1897
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 48,665 | 8.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 46,773 | 7.7% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 30,443 | 5.0% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 28,621 | 4.7% |
| #5 | New York | | 26,323 | 4.3% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 24,605 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 24,605 | 4.0% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 24,365 | 4.0% |
48,665 of 608,478 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Brenda appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Brenda? ▼
Where does Brenda sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Brenda most popular? ▼
Where is Brenda most popular? ▼
How long has the name Brenda been used? ▼
What names are similar to Brenda? ▼
What to do with Brenda's data
- Brenda's decade-level peak was the 1950s (209,241 total births); usage has since declined to 1,095 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Brendas (48,665 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 Brenda
Nearby Names Like Brenda
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Brenda
Compare Brenda side by side: Brenda vs Breanna Brenda vs Brenna Brenda vs Breana
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Brenda
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Brenda: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1957)
Similar record span (~128 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, 1897–2025 (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 Brenda 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.