Boys' name · since 1912
Brendan
Since 1912, U.S. Social Security records show 91,816 babies named Brendan, peaking in 1999. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #331 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,101 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 91,816
- born since 1912
- 1990s
- peak decade
Brendan currently ranks #1101 among boys' names in America, with 91,816 babies recorded since 1912.
Social Security Administration records show Brendan recorded 91,816 times among boys since 1912, holding rank #1101 nationally today, ahead of 92% of boys, peaking in the 1990s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1912 to 2025.
- #331 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,101 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 91,816 born since 1912
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Brendan ranks #331 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,101 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 91,816 born since 1912, peaking in the 1990s.
- #331 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,101 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 91,816
- born since 1912
- 1990s
- peak decade
Brendan's 91,816 recorded births place it above 99.27% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Brendan compares
91,816 Top 3% higher than 97% of 13,930 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
Brendan's all-time total is 249x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Brendan | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 91,816 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 3,995 | 34 | 22,252 |
Brendan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Brendan splits its recorded history at 1969: 95% of all births land in the more recent half, 5% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1915 (7 births) -- compare that against the 1999 peak of 3,995 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Brendan popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1912–2025
- Peak year (1999)
- 3,995
- Annual births at peak, across 114 years of records
Brendan popularity over time - girls
325 total births recorded since 1968 (Brendan as girls' name)
Brendan by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (28,521 births, 31% of the file).
1990s was Brendan's strongest decade.
28,521 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Brendan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 85
1910s
85 births
- 1920s 165
1920s
165 births
- 1930s 289
1930s
289 births
- 1940s 444
1940s
444 births
- 1950s 984
1950s
984 births
- 1960s 3,437
1960s
3,437 births
- 1970s 6,930
1970s
6,930 births
- 1980s
1980s
14,598 births
- 1990s
1990s
28,521 births
- 2000s
2000s
25,836 births
- 2010s 8,908
2010s
8,908 births
- 2020s 1,619
2020s
1,619 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 28,521 births (31% of all-time use).
How Brendan 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 Brendan's total volume
Brendan by state
Where Brendan concentrates geographically, total births since 1912
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 11,389 | 12.4% |
| #2 | California | | 7,942 | 8.6% |
| #3 | Massachusetts | | 7,607 | 8.3% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 5,474 | 6.0% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 5,408 | 5.9% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 4,958 | 5.4% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 4,307 | 4.7% |
| #8 | Texas | | 3,622 | 3.9% |
11,389 of 91,816 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Brendan appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Brendan? ▼
Where does Brendan sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Brendan most popular? ▼
Where is Brendan most popular? ▼
How long has the name Brendan been used? ▼
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What to do with Brendan's data
- Brendan's decade-level peak was the 1990s (28,521 total births); usage has since declined to 1,619 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Brendans (11,389 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Brendan
Nearby Names Like Brendan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Brendan
Compare Brendan side by side: Brendan vs Brett Brendan vs Brent Brendan vs Brennan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Brendan
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Brendan: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1999)
Similar record span (~113 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, 1912–2025 (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 Brendan 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.