The first name Brendan
A boy’s name from Irish meaning “prince”, “king”, “(someone) preeminent”.
2 syllables Male
Meaning and origin
Irish origin
Brendan means “prince”, “king”, “(someone) preeminent” in Irish.
Anglicized form of the name of Irish saints, Irish Bréanainn (via Latin Brendanus), from Old Irish Brénainn, from Old Welsh breenhin (“prince, king”), ultimately from Proto-Celtic *brigantīnos (“(someone) preeminent, outstanding”), a diminutive of *brigantī (“high, exalted”). Doublet of Brian.
More names that mean king.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 16 boys were named Brendan, making it the 1,613th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 1997, with 216 births (#161).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Brendan with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Brendan at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 195 boys born in the United States were named Brendan, the 1,098th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1999, when 3,995 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Brendan in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Brendan in French too.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Brendan
63 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Brendan FraserCanadian-American actor (born 1968)
- Brendan EichAmerican computer programmer and technology executive, born 1961
- Brendan PerryBritish singer and multi-instrumentalist, born 1959
- Brendan FehrCanadian-American actor, born 1977
- Brendan ShanahanCanadian ice hockey player, born 1969
- Brendan GallowayEnglish association football player (born 1996)
- Brendan HansenAmerican swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, world champion, world record-holder, born 1981
- Brendan HinesAmerican actor and singer, born 1976
- Brendan ChristianAntigua and Barbuda sprinter, born 1983
- Brendan FletcherCanadian actor, born 1981
- Brendan HaywoodAmerican basketball player (born 1979)
- Brendan FosterAthletics competitor, long distance runner, born 1948
More Irish boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Brendan mean?
- Brendan means “prince”, “king”, “(someone) preeminent” in Irish.
- What is the origin of the name Brendan?
- Anglicized form of the name of Irish saints, Irish Bréanainn (via Latin Brendanus), from Old Irish Brénainn, from Old Welsh breenhin (“prince, king”), ultimately from Proto-Celtic *brigantīnos (“(someone) preeminent, outstanding”), a diminutive of *brigantī (“high, exalted”). Doublet of Brian.
- How popular is the name Brendan?
- In 2025, 16 boys born in England and Wales were named Brendan, ranking 1,613th. Its peak was 1997, with 216 births.
- Is Brendan a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 92,141 US babies named Brendan since 1880 were boys.
- When was Brendan most popular?
- 1999 in the United States, when 3,995 babies were named Brendan, its highest rank at 96th.
- What are other spellings of Brendan?
- Brandon, Brenden, Brendon and Brennan.