Brennan

Brennan - A very unique male name

Brennan appeared on the charts for the first time in 1962 on position #1474. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Brennan and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Brennan? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Brennan. The baby boy name Brennan was given to 166 baby boys in 2025, ranking #1027 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 8,833 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Brennan peaked in popularity 17 years ago in 2009 on position 241.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Brennan, 1-5?

Brennan is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Brennan is currently topping the baby name charts in Louisiana at position #537 - and is the least popular in California at position #1,453.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Brennan is where you live.

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Brennan origin and meaning

Irish — transferred surname

A transferred Irish surname, Ó Braonáin, 'descendant of Braonán' — Braonán is a personal name from braon, usually glossed 'moisture, a drop', with 'sorrow' also proposed

Brennan is an Irish surname name that took off for American boys in the 1990s and 2000s, peaking in 2009. It has the friendly -an ending of that era with a genuinely Irish root.

Origin uncertain

Brennan is a 7 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Brennan, pop culture references for the name Brennan and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Brennan

We've found the following names that sound similar to Brennan, sorted by popularity.

Brian / Bryan / Byron / Brayan / Bruno / Barney / Bryon / Brennen / Bernie / Baron /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Brennan

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Brennan a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Brennan?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

BREN-uhn · /ˈbrɛnən/

Around the world

No traditional forms in other languages — this name was created in America in our own time.

Spellings and nicknames

• Brennen — -en spelling variant.

Nicknames: Bren

Famous bearers

• Brennan Johnson — Welsh international footballer (b. 2001) Contemporary

Style

SurnameInternational

Why parents choose it

Brennan is a warm Irish surname name that feels familiar but not overused. It has eased from its 2009 peak.

Worth knowing

• Brennan, Brennen, Brendan and Brandon form a confusion cluster.