Brenndan
Anglicized form of the Irish name Brendan, derived from the Gaelic words "brígh" meaning strength and "dán" meaning enduring or steadfast.
Name Census estimates that about 55 living Americans carry the first name Brenndan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Brenndan today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brenndan births was 1997 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brenndan. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Brenndan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
55
~ 1 in 6,231,897 Americans
Peak year
1997
12 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2004 SSA rank
#11,589
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Brenndan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brenndan from the 1990s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 38 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Brenndan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brenndan 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 Brenndan 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 Brenndan
The name Brenndan is derived from the Old Irish Gaelic name Brénainn, which itself has its origins in the Primitive Irish word "brenandos" meaning "prince" or "blessed." This name likely emerged sometime around the 5th or 6th century CE in ancient Ireland and Scotland.
One of the earliest and most famous bearers of this name was Saint Brendan the Navigator, an Irish monk who lived around 484-577 CE. He is celebrated for his legendary journey across the Atlantic Ocean, which is recounted in the 9th-century text "Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis" (The Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot).
Another notable figure named Brenndan was Brendan Beanna, an Irish chieftain and warrior who lived in the 7th century CE. He is known for his resistance against the Anglo-Saxon invasions of Ireland and his efforts to preserve Irish culture and tradition.
In the 11th century, Brenndan was the name of a prominent Irish scholar and scribe known as Brenndan of Clonfert. He is credited with producing some of the finest illuminated manuscripts of the medieval period, including the renowned Book of Armagh.
Moving forward in history, Brenndan O'Rourke was an Irish nobleman and military leader who lived in the 14th century. He played a significant role in the Irish struggles against English rule and is remembered for his bravery and strategic prowess in battle.
In the 16th century, Brenndan MacCarthy was an Irish chieftain and lord of the MacCarthy clan. He was a prominent figure in the Irish Confederate Wars against English forces, leading his clan in several battles and negotiations.
While the name Brenndan has its roots in ancient Ireland, it has also been used in various other cultures and regions over the centuries. The name's connection to the concept of "prince" or "blessed" has likely contributed to its enduring popularity and use across different societies.
People
Brenndan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brenndan 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
Brenndan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brenndan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 55 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brenndan 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 6,231,897 US residents.
Is Brenndan a common name?
We classify Brenndan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 55.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 56 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brenndan most popular?
The single biggest year for Brenndan was 1997, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brenndan is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Brenndan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Brenndan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brenndan 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 Brenndan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Brenndan 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 Brenndan 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Brenndan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.