Girls' name · since 1946
Brenna
Since 1946, U.S. Social Security records show 29,371 babies named Brenna, peaking in 1995. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #850 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,850 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 29,371
- born since 1946
- 1990s
- peak decade
Yes -- Brenna is the #1850 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 29,371 recorded since 1946.
Brenna has 29,371 recorded births among girls since 1946, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1850 as of the latest data, more common than 89% of girls, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1946 to 2025.
- #850 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,850 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 29,371 born since 1946
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Brenna ranks #850 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,850 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 29,371 born since 1946, peaking in the 1990s.
- #850 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,850 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 29,371
- born since 1946
- 1990s
- peak decade
Brenna's 29,371 recorded births place it above 98.82% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
50 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Brenna compares
29,371 Top 5% higher than 95% 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
Brenna's all-time total is 78x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Brenna | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 29,371 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,212 | 21 | 19,840 |
Brenna's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Brenna's SSA record in two at 1986 and the more recent half accounts for 84% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 16%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1947, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1995 peak of 1,212, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Brenna popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1946–2025
- Peak year (1995)
- 1,212
- Annual births at peak, across 80 years of records
Brenna by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (9,202 births, 31% of the file).
1990s was Brenna's strongest decade.
9,202 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Brenna births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 39
1940s
39 births
- 1950s 254
1950s
254 births
- 1960s 544
1960s
544 births
- 1970s 1,647
1970s
1,647 births
- 1980s
1980s
4,187 births
- 1990s
1990s
9,202 births
- 2000s
2000s
9,000 births
- 2010s
2010s
3,784 births
- 2020s 714
2020s
714 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 9,202 births (31% of all-time use).
How Brenna 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 Brenna's total volume
Brenna by state
Where Brenna concentrates geographically, total births since 1946
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 2,694 | 9.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 2,017 | 6.9% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 1,457 | 5.0% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 1,382 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 1,195 | 4.1% |
| #6 | New York | | 1,162 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 1,034 | 3.5% |
| #8 | Minnesota | | 1,020 | 3.5% |
2,694 of 29,371 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Brenna appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Brenna? ▼
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When was Brenna most popular? ▼
Where is Brenna most popular? ▼
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What names are similar to Brenna? ▼
What to do with Brenna's data
- Brenna's decade-level peak was the 1990s (9,202 total births); usage has since declined to 714 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Brennas (2,694 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 Brenna
Nearby Names Like Brenna
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Brenna
Compare Brenna side by side: Brenna vs Brenda Brenna vs Breanna Brenna vs Breana
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Brenna
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Brenna: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1995)
Similar record span (~79 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, 1946–2025 (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 Brenna 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.