Boys' name · since 1912
Brenton
Since 1912, U.S. Social Security records show 15,099 babies named Brenton, peaking in 1984. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #967 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,096 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 15,099
- born since 1912
- 1980s
- peak decade
Brenton currently ranks #2096 among boys' names in America, with 15,099 babies recorded since 1912.
Brenton has 15,099 recorded births among boys since 1912, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2096 as of the latest data, more common than 85% of boys, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1912 to 2025.
- #967 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #2,096 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 15,099 born since 1912
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Brenton ranks #967 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,096 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 15,099 born since 1912, peaking in the 1980s.
- #967 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,096 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 15,099
- born since 1912
- 1980s
- peak decade
Brenton's 15,099 recorded births place it above 97.87% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
45 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Brenton compares
15,099 Top 7% higher than 93% 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
Brenton's all-time total is 41x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Brenton | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 15,099 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 799 | 34 | 22,252 |
Brenton's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Brenton splits its recorded history at 1971: 89% of all births land in the more recent half, 11% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1923 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1984 peak of 799 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Brenton popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1912–2025
- Peak year (1984)
- 799
- Annual births at peak, across 114 years of records
Currently ranks #2096 among boys.
15,099 total births across 114 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1984 with 799 births in a single year.
Brenton popularity over time - girls
18 total births recorded since 1984 (Brenton as girls' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The girls' variant of Brenton accounts for 0% of total recorded use across both genders.
Brenton by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (4,335 births, 29% of the file).
1980s was Brenton's strongest decade.
4,335 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.
Brenton births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 40
1910s
40 births
- 1920s 98
1920s
98 births
- 1930s 116
1930s
116 births
- 1940s 215
1940s
215 births
- 1950s 311
1950s
311 births
- 1960s 721
1960s
721 births
- 1970s 1,608
1970s
1,608 births
- 1980s
1980s
4,335 births
- 1990s
1990s
3,222 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,074 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,848 births
- 2020s 511
2020s
511 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 4,335 births (29% of all-time use).
Brenton decade highlights
- Peak decade 4,335 births
- Runner-up 3,222 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
How Brenton 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 Brenton's total volume
Brenton by state
Where Brenton concentrates geographically, total births since 1912
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,229 | 8.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 966 | 6.4% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 761 | 5.0% |
| #4 | Florida | | 674 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 640 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 526 | 3.5% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 498 | 3.3% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 431 | 2.9% |
1,229 of 15,099 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 45 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- California 8.1% of nationwide
- Texas 6.4% of nationwide
- Georgia 5.0% of nationwide
- Florida 4.5% of nationwide
- Ohio 4.2% of nationwide
Recorded in 45 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
California accounts for 8.1% of all recorded births nationwide - a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Brenton appears in 45 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Brenton's data
- Brenton's decade-level peak was the 1980s (4,335 total births); usage has since declined to 511 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Brentons (1,229 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 Brenton
Nearby Names Like Brenton
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Brenton
Compare Brenton side by side: Brenton vs Brett Brenton vs Brent Brenton vs Brendan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Brenton
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Brenton: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1984)
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 Brenton 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.
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