Brendan is a distinctive choice, ranked #1402 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Brendan in their class.
💎
UK Rank 2024
#1402
US Rank #885
About the Name Brendan
Brendan is climbing rapidly up the charts, having climbed 146 places in just five years. Its best recorded rank was #157 in 1998 — and current momentum suggests it could challenge that mark again. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Brendan is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
In the US it ranks even higher at #885, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Brendan
Unlikely. With around 19 UK babies named Brendan per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Brendan in his class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Brendan is currently rising in popularity in the UK, up 146 places over the last five years to #1402 in 2024. If this trend continues, it will become more common in classrooms over the next decade.
Brendan is more popular in the US (#885) than in the UK (#1402). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Brendan include: Brendan Simms — Brendan Peter Simms is a Professor of the history of international relations in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of...; Brendan Fevola — Brendan Fevola is a former professional Australian rules footballer and radio presenter.; Brendan Bracken — Brendan Rendall Bracken, 1st Viscount Bracken, was an Irish-born businessman, politician and a Minister of Information and First Lord of the Admiralty in....
Brendan does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Brendans in the wild.
19
UK babies named Brendan (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↑ 146 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Brendan
Likely around 1 other Brendan in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2023)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Brendan
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Brendan Peter Simms is a Professor of the history of international relations in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge.
Brendan Fevola is a former professional Australian rules footballer and radio presenter. He played with the Carlton and Brisbane Lions football clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Brendan Ingle was an Irish boxing trainer, manager, and former professional boxer based in Sheffield, England. He trained five world champions in total at his Wincobank gym, including Johnny Nelson, "Prince" Naseem Hamed, Junior Witter, Kell Brook, and Kid Galahad.
Brendan Rendall Bracken, 1st Viscount Bracken, was an Irish-born businessman, politician and a Minister of Information and First Lord of the Admiralty in Winston Churchill's War Cabinet. He is best remembered for supporting Churchill during his whole political career.
Brendan Michael Donovan is an American professional baseball utility player for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St.