Total births
139,799
Boys' name · since 1885
Brent
139,799 babies named Brent in U.S. Social Security records since 1885, with the highest year being 1970. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1653
- among boys today
- 139,799
- born since 1885
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other boys
139,799 babies have been named Brent since 1885, making it today's #1653 boys' name.
Brent has 139,799 recorded births among boys since 1885, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1653 as of the latest data, more common than 88% of boys, busiest in the 1970s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1885 to 2025.
- #1653 among boys today
- 139,799 born since 1885
- 1970s peak decade
- 88% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Brent is currently the #1653 boys' name in America, more common than 88% of boys - 139,799 born since 1885, peaking in the 1970s.
- #1653
- among boys today
- 139,799
- born since 1885
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other boys
Brent vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1653
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 88% of names given to boys today.
1970s
Peak decade
25% of everyone ever named Brent was born in this single decade.
1970
Single peak year
4,269 babies were named Brent in 1970 - its busiest year on record.
How Brent compares
139,799 Top 2% higher than 98% of 14,294 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
Brent's all-time total is 381x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Brent | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 139,799 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 4,269 | 23 | 22,252 |
Brent's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Brent's full recorded timeline at 1968, 71% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 29% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1885, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1970 peak of 4,269 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Brent at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1970
Current rank
#1,653
Active since
1885
Brent popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1885–2025
- Peak year (1970)
- 4,269
- Annual births at peak, across 141 years of records
Brent popularity over time - girls
567 total births recorded since 1947 (Brent as girls' name)
Brent by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Brent's strongest decade.
35,380 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Brent births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 5
1880s
5 births
- 1890s 5
1890s
5 births
- 1910s 111
1910s
111 births
- 1920s 199
1920s
199 births
- 1930s 694
1930s
694 births
- 1940s 4,384
1940s
4,384 births
- 1950s
1950s
14,335 births
- 1960s
1960s
27,164 births
- 1970s
1970s
35,380 births
- 1980s
1980s
31,279 births
- 1990s
1990s
16,624 births
- 2000s 6,303
2000s
6,303 births
- 2010s 2,536
2010s
2,536 births
- 2020s 780
2020s
780 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 35,380 births (25% of all-time use).
How Brent 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 Brent's total volume
Brent vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Brent by state
Where Brent concentrates geographically, total births since 1885
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 13,546 | 9.7% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 8,413 | 6.0% |
| #3 | Texas | | 8,346 | 6.0% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 7,617 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 6,292 | 4.5% |
| #6 | Indiana | | 6,018 | 4.3% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 5,297 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Utah | | 5,052 | 3.6% |
California share of Brent's total US births 9.7%
Even split
13,546 of 139,799 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Brent appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Brent? ▼
139,799 babies have been named Brent since 1885. It currently ranks #1653 among boys. The peak year was 1970 with 4,269 births.
When was Brent most popular? ▼
Brent was most popular in the 1970s decade with 35,380 total births. The single peak year was 1970.
Where is Brent most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Brent are California (13,546 births), Ohio (8,413 births), Texas (8,346 births).
How long has the name Brent been used? ▼
Records for Brent go back to 1885, giving 141 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Brent? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Brett, Brendan, Brennan, Bret, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Brent's data
- Brent's decade-level peak was the 1970s (35,380 total births); usage has since declined to 780 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Brents (13,546 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California 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 Brent
Nearby Names Like Brent
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Brent
Brett Boy
#1059 159,109 births
Brendan Boy
#1010 91,816 births
Brennan Boy
#1058 33,258 births
Bret Boy
#4734 29,819 births
Brenden Boy
#2511 25,715 births
Compare Brent side by side: Brent vs Brett Brent vs Brendan Brent vs Brennan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Brent
German #1652
10,290 births · Peak 1991
Haze #1654
1,232 births · Peak 2023
Ransom #1651
4,859 births · Peak 2022
Alister #1655
1,659 births · Peak 2022
Chester #1650
121,474 births · Peak 1920
Montana #1656
4,040 births · Peak 1995
Vyom #1649
725 births · Peak 2023
Hussein #1657
3,402 births · Peak 2015
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, 1885–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Brent: #1653 Boys' Name - 139,799 Births, Peak 1970." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/brent. 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 Brent 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.