Brendan

Brendan: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “prince”
Origin: Irish
Say it: BREN-dən · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys

Anglicized form of Irish Breandán, probably from an older Celtic form related to a word for 'prince'. Best known through Saint Brendan the Navigator.

Irish names English names Scottish names Names meaning royalty Names meaning faith Names meaning noble Classic names International names

How popular is Brendan?

202466.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Brendan in 2024221

2024 rank#1,010 boys

Peak year1999

Total US babies since 188091,937

Brendan is fading: recent use is about 26% of its level ten years before.

Names like Brendan

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Brendenprince · Irish
Brandanprince · Irish
Liamresolute protector · Irish
Aidenlittle fire · Irish
Nolandescendant of Nuallán · Irish
Ryanlittle king · Irish
Quinndescendant of Conn · Irish
Declanuncertain, possibly full of goodness · Irish

Brendan questions

What does the name Brendan mean?

Brendan means "prince". It comes from Irish. Anglicized form of Irish Breandán, probably from an older Celtic form related to a word for 'prince'. Best known through Saint Brendan the Navigator.

Is Brendan a boy or girl name?

Brendan is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Brendan?

221 US babies were named Brendan in 2024. Its peak year was 1999.

How do you pronounce Brendan?

Brendan is usually pronounced BREN-dən.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.