Brain
A masculine name derived from an English word meaning the control center of the body.
Name Census estimates that about 4,290 living Americans carry the first name Brain. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Brain today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brain births was 1982 (189 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brain. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
4.3K
~ 1 in 79,896 Americans
Peak year
1982
189 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2017 SSA rank
#10,844
Tracked since 1950
Census
Brain in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,363 people with the first name Brain, which placed it at #4,333 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#4,333
National first-name rank
People counted
4.4K
4,363 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
61.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brain
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Brain is White at 61.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.6%) and Black (15.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Brain described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Brain at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.1% · 2,665
- Hispanic or Latino17.6% · 767
- Black or African American15.5% · 676
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 144
- Two or more races1.7% · 74
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 37
Gender
Gender distribution for Brain
Out of the 4,606 babies given the name Brain since 1880, 99.8% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Brain as a male name
- Ranked #10,962 in 2017
- 6 male births in 2017
- Peak: 1982 (189 births)
Brain as a female name
- Ranked #10,844 in 1985
- 5 female births in 1985
- Peak: 1977 (5 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Brain appears almost entirely male. Of the 4,359 people counted with this name, 99.6% were male and only a very small share were female.
Popularity
Brain: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brain from the 1950s through to the 2010s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 1,638 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brain by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Brain during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Brains live
The SSA's state-level files cover 29 states and territories. California, New York, Illinois recorded the most babies named Brain, while Wisconsin, Kansas, Connecticut recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 88 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Brain
The name Brain is an intriguing one, with a rich history and fascinating origins. It is believed to have its roots in the ancient Celtic language, where it was derived from the word "bran," which translates to "raven" or "crow." This connection to these intelligent and enigmatic birds may have been a source of reverence and respect among the Celtic peoples.
In the early medieval period, the name Brain gained prominence through its association with the legendary figure of Bran the Blessed, a mythical king of Britain who appeared in Welsh folklore and the Mabinogion. His name was sometimes rendered as Brain, and he was celebrated for his wisdom, courage, and leadership.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name Brain was Brain Ddu (translated as "Brain the Black" or "Brain the Dark"), a 6th-century Welsh king who ruled over a region in modern-day Powys. His reign was marked by conflicts with neighboring kingdoms, and he was eventually slain in battle.
In the 12th century, the name Brain resurfaced in the form of Brain de Waleys, a Norman knight who accompanied Richard the Lionheart on the Third Crusade. He is mentioned in several historical accounts for his bravery and skill in combat during the siege of Acre in 1191.
Another notable figure bearing the name Brain was Brain Sais, a 13th-century Welsh poet and historian who wrote extensively about the history and culture of Wales. His works, such as the "Brut y Tywysogion" (Chronicle of the Princes), are considered invaluable sources for understanding the medieval period in Wales.
In the realm of literature, the name Brain gained further prominence through the character of Brain Guilbert, a minor knight featured in Sir Walter Scott's novel "Ivanhoe," set in 12th-century England. Scott's portrayal of Brain as a brave and loyal companion to the novel's protagonists may have contributed to the enduring appeal of the name.
While the name Brain has not been as widely used in recent centuries, it has maintained a unique and intriguing presence throughout history, evoking associations with wisdom, courage, and a deep connection to ancient Celtic traditions.
People
Brain + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brain as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Brain: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brain?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4,290 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brain going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 79,896 US residents.
Is Brain a common name?
We classify Brain as "Rare". It ranks above 96.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,606 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brain most popular?
The single biggest year for Brain was 1982, when 189 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brain is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Brain in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,363 people with the name Brain, or 1.44 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,333 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Brain in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Brain?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Brain appears almost entirely male. Of the 4,359 people counted with this name, 99.6% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Brain?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Brain is White at 61.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.6%) and Black (15.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Brain most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Brain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.1% (2,665 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Brain in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Brain a male name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as Brain in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Brain still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Brain in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Brain can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Brain?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.