Brandace
A feminine name derived from the French word "brande" meaning "sword."
Name Census estimates that about 150 living Americans carry the first name Brandace. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Brandace today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brandace births was 1983 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brandace. 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
150
~ 1 in 2,285,029 Americans
Peak year
1983
17 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
2001 SSA rank
#15,716
Tracked since 1973
Census
Brandace in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 175 people with the first name Brandace, which placed it at #41,669 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
#41,669
National first-name rank
People counted
175
175 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
50.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brandace
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Brandace is White at 50.3%. The next largest groups are Black (34.9%) and Hispanic (8.0%). 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 Brandace 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 Brandace at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.3% · 88
- Black or African American34.9% · 61
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 14
- Two or more races4.0% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 5
Popularity
Brandace: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brandace from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 94 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brandace 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 Brandace during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Brandace
The name Brandace has its origins in the ancient Germanic language, dating back to the early medieval period around the 5th century AD. It is derived from the Old Germanic words "brant," meaning "fire" or "sword," and "aci," meaning "edge" or "blade." The name was originally a masculine name, likely given to warriors or soldiers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brandace can be found in the Frankish chronicles of the 6th century, where it is mentioned as the name of a Frankish nobleman who served under King Clovis I. This Brandace is said to have played a pivotal role in the Battle of Vouillé in 507 AD, which led to the defeat of the Visigoths and the expansion of Frankish rule.
In the 8th century, the name Brandace gained some prominence in the Carolingian Empire, particularly among the nobility. One notable bearer of the name was Brandace of Burgundy, a powerful count who lived during the reign of Charlemagne. Brandace of Burgundy was instrumental in suppressing several revolts against the Carolingian dynasty and was rewarded with vast lands and titles.
As Christianity spread throughout Europe, the name Brandace also found its way into religious texts and records. In the 11th century, a monk named Brandace is recorded as having lived in the monastery of St. Gall in modern-day Switzerland. This Brandace is credited with transcribing several important manuscripts and religious texts, preserving them for future generations.
During the Crusades, the name Brandace was associated with bravery and valor on the battlefield. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Brandace de Montfort, a French knight who participated in the Third Crusade and fought alongside King Richard the Lionheart. Brandace de Montfort was known for his skill with the sword and his unwavering courage in battle.
In the 13th century, the name Brandace gained popularity in England, particularly among the nobility. One notable figure was Brandace of Arundel, a powerful baron who played a significant role in the Barons' War against King John. Brandace of Arundel was captured at the Battle of Lincoln in 1217 but was later pardoned and regained his lands and titles.
While the name Brandace has fallen out of common use in modern times, its rich history and powerful connotations have left an indelible mark on the annals of European history. From warriors and knights to monks and nobles, the name Brandace has been associated with strength, courage, and a deep commitment to faith and duty.
People
Brandace + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brandace 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
Brandace: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brandace?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 150 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brandace 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 2,285,029 US residents.
Is Brandace a common name?
We classify Brandace as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 160 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brandace most popular?
The single biggest year for Brandace was 1983, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brandace is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Brandace in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 175 people with the name Brandace, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #41,669 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 Brandace 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 Brandace?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Brandace leans strongly female. 165 people counted with this name were female (98.2%), compared with 3 male bearers (1.8%). 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 Brandace?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Brandace is White at 50.3%. The next largest groups are Black (34.9%) and Hispanic (8.0%). 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 Brandace most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Brandace in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.3% (88 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 Brandace in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Brandace a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brandace in the SSA data are female. 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 Brandace still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Brandace 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 Brandace 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 share the name Brandace?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.