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Brennan

Brennan: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“descendant of Braonán”
Origin
Irish
Say it
BREN-un · 2 syllables
Used for
Boys (94% of all uses)

Anglicized Irish surname and given name from Ó Braonáin. The byname Braonán is often linked to braon, meaning 'moisture' or 'drop'.

Irish namesNames meaning waterSurname-style namesInternational names

How popular is Brennan?

202468.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
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.

Babies named Brennan in 2024225

2024 rank#1,055 boys

Peak year2009

Total US babies since 188035,250

Brennan is fading: recent use is about 27% of its level ten years before.

Names like Brennan

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Liamresolute protector · Irish
  • Aidenlittle fire · Irish
  • Nolandescendant of Nuallán · Irish
  • Ryanlittle king · Irish
  • Declanuncertain, possibly full of goodness · Irish
  • Connorlover of hounds · Irish
  • Kevinhandsome, gentle, kind · Irish
  • Braydendescendant of Bradán · Irish

Brennan questions

What does the name Brennan mean?

Brennan means "descendant of Braonán". It comes from Irish. Anglicized Irish surname and given name from Ó Braonáin. The byname Braonán is often linked to braon, meaning 'moisture' or 'drop'.

Is Brennan a boy or girl name?

Brennan is mainly a boy's name in US records (94% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Brennan?

225 US babies were named Brennan in 2024. Its peak year was 2009.

How do you pronounce Brennan?

Brennan is usually pronounced BREN-un.

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.