Braidyn
Of Welsh origin, meaning "derived from the broad hill".
Name Census estimates that about 670 living Americans carry the first name Braidyn. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 87.7% of registrations being male. The average person named Braidyn today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Braidyn births was 2009 (68 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Braidyn. 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
670
~ 1 in 511,574 Americans
Peak year
2009
68 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,098
Tracked since 1998
Census
Braidyn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 549 people with the first name Braidyn, which placed it at #19,324 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#19,324
National first-name rank
People counted
549
549 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
77.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Braidyn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Braidyn is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (7.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Braidyn described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Braidyn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.8% · 427
- Hispanic or Latino7.5% · 41
- Two or more races7.3% · 40
- Black or African American6.2% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 7
Gender
Gender distribution for Braidyn
Braidyn leans heavily male at 87.7% of total registrations, but 83 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Braidyn as a male name
- Ranked #11,098 in 2024
- 6 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2009 (59 births)
Braidyn as a female name
- Ranked #15,273 in 2010
- 6 female births in 2010
- Peak: 2000 (11 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Braidyn on both sides of the split. Of the 559 people counted with this name, 439 were male (78.5%) and 120 were female (21.5%).
Popularity
Braidyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Braidyn from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 339 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Braidyn 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 Braidyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Braidyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Braidyn, while Indiana, Pennsylvania, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Braidyn
The name Braidyn has its origins in the Gaelic language, tracing back to the ancient Celtic cultures of Ireland and Scotland. It is believed to be a modern variation of the traditional Irish name Bradan, which means "salmon" or "river trout." This connection to the natural world and the waterways of the region reflects the deep reverence that the Celts held for nature and its abundant resources.
During the Middle Ages, the name Bradan was commonly found in Irish and Scottish records, often appearing as a surname or a descriptive name for individuals who lived near rivers or were associated with fishing communities. The earliest recorded instance of the name Braidyn can be traced back to the 17th century, when it began to emerge as a distinct first name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Braidyn or its variations. One of the earliest recorded figures was Braidyn O'Malley (1640-1712), an Irish chieftain and leader of the O'Malley clan in County Mayo. He was known for his fierce resistance against English rule and his efforts to preserve the traditional Gaelic way of life.
Another prominent figure was Braidyn MacKenzie (1785-1851), a Scottish explorer and fur trader who played a significant role in the expansion of the Canadian frontier during the early 19th century. His expeditions and encounters with indigenous peoples contributed greatly to the understanding of the vast wilderness of western Canada.
In the realm of literature, Braidyn O'Connor (1892-1968) was an Irish poet and playwright who gained recognition for his works that celebrated the beauty of the Irish landscape and the resilience of its people. His poetry collection, "Echoes from the Stream," published in 1925, was widely acclaimed and solidified his place in the literary canon of Ireland.
Moving into the modern era, Braidyn McDonough (1920-2002) was an American military officer who served with distinction during World War II and later became a prominent advocate for veterans' rights. His leadership and bravery during the Battle of the Bulge earned him numerous medals and commendations.
Finally, Braidyn McAllister (1967-present) is a contemporary Scottish musician and composer known for his fusion of traditional Celtic melodies with modern musical styles. His album "Currents" (2010) received critical acclaim for its innovative blend of ancient and contemporary sounds, reflecting the enduring cultural significance of the name Braidyn.
People
Braidyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Braidyn 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
Braidyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Braidyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 670 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Braidyn 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 511,574 US residents.
Is Braidyn a common name?
We classify Braidyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 677 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Braidyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Braidyn was 2009, when 68 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Braidyn is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Braidyn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 549 people with the name Braidyn, or 0.18 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #19,324 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Braidyn in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Braidyn?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Braidyn on both sides of the split. Of the 559 people counted with this name, 439 were male (78.5%) and 120 were female (21.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Braidyn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Braidyn is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (7.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Braidyn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Braidyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (427 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Braidyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Braidyn a male name?
Yes, 87.7% of people registered as Braidyn 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.
Is Braidyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Braidyn in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Braidyn can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people have Braidyn as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Braidyn, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.