Bradd
A masculine name derived from the Old English word "brad" meaning "broad" or "spacious".
Name Census estimates that about 567 living Americans carry the first name Bradd. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bradd today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bradd births was 1976 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bradd. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
567
~ 1 in 604,505 Americans
Peak year
1976
27 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
2009 SSA rank
#11,175
Tracked since 1947
Popularity
Bradd: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bradd from the 1940s through to the 2000s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 199 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bradd by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Bradd during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bradds live
Origin
Meaning and history of Bradd
The given name Bradd has its origins in the Old English language, dating back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the Old English word "brad," which means "broad" or "wide." This name was commonly used in Anglo-Saxon England and was associated with someone who had a sturdy or robust build.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bradd can be found in the Domesday Book, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book lists several individuals with the name Bradd, indicating its usage during the Norman period.
In the Middle Ages, the name Bradd was particularly popular among the nobility and upper classes of English society. One notable figure from this era was Bradd of Northumbria, a renowned warrior who fought alongside King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
During the Renaissance period, the name Bradd gained popularity across Europe. In Italy, the humanist scholar and philosopher Bradd Bracciolini (1369-1459) was a prominent figure in the Italian Renaissance. He was known for his contributions to classical literature and his role in reviving the study of ancient texts.
In the 17th century, Bradd Winslow (1595-1655) was an influential English Puritan and one of the founders of the town of Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts. He played a crucial role in the early settlement of New England and is remembered for his leadership during the Pequot War.
Another notable figure with the name Bradd was Bradd Pitt (1963-), an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. Pitt is widely regarded as one of the most influential and popular actors of his generation.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the given name Bradd who have left their mark on history. While the name may have evolved and undergone various spelling variations over time, its roots can be traced back to the Old English language and its association with strength and robustness.
People
Bradd + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bradd as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bradd: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bradd?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 567 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bradd going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 604,505 US residents.
Is Bradd a common name?
We classify Bradd as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 653 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bradd most popular?
The single biggest year for Bradd was 1976, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bradd is about 55 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bradd a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bradd in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.