as a First Name
A very popular name, of uncertain derivation. Until the 20th century it was confined mainly to Scotland and Ireland. It is probably of Scandinavian rather than Celtic origin, however: a short form of any of the various compound names derived from Old Norse brand ‘sword’. Its popularity in Gaelic-speaking countries has no doubt been influenced by its similarity to Brendan.
| 67th in the U.S. for 2011 |
Nicknames & variations
Quick facts
- Hundreds of thousands
- of people in the U.S have this name
- 727,451
- to be exact (as of February 2011)
- West Virginia
- has the most people named Brenda per capita
- 1950
- marked the height of its popularity
99.92%
0.08%
44%
55+
55+
46%
30-54
30-54
5%
13-29
13-29
5%
0-12
0-12
Top state populations
U.S. Distribution Map
