Brailen
A combination of the names "Braden" and "Liam", with potential meanings of "broad valley" and "strong protector".
Name Census estimates that about 192 living Americans carry the first name Brailen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Brailen today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brailen births was 2011 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brailen. 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
192
~ 1 in 1,785,179 Americans
Peak year
2011
18 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2021 SSA rank
#8,265
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Brailen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brailen from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 128 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
Brailen 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 Brailen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Brailen
The name Brailen is believed to have originated in the ancient Celtic regions of Britain and Ireland. Derived from the Old Irish word "brail," meaning "bravery" or "strength," the name was likely given to children with the hope that they would grow up to embody these admirable traits.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brailen can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The entry for the year 1022 mentions a warrior named Brailen mac Conchobair, who fought alongside the High King of Ireland in a battle against Viking invaders.
In the 12th century, a Brailen O'Farrell was noted as a renowned poet and storyteller in the court of the King of Connacht. His works, though largely lost to time, were said to have celebrated the heroic deeds of Irish warriors and the enduring spirit of the Celtic people.
During the English Renaissance, a playwright named Brailen Woodhouse gained recognition for his historical dramas, which often explored the lives of legendary British figures. His most famous work, "The Valiant Heart," told the story of a Celtic chieftain who led his tribe in a valiant struggle against Roman invaders.
In the 19th century, Brailen Mackenzie was a Scottish explorer and adventurer who led several expeditions into the uncharted regions of Africa. His journals, which detailed his encounters with various tribes and the natural wonders he discovered, were widely read and celebrated in his time.
More recently, Brailen Callahan was a World War II veteran who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery in the Battle of Okinawa. His acts of valor, which included single-handedly destroying several enemy positions and saving the lives of his fellow soldiers, exemplified the spirit of courage and sacrifice embodied by the name Brailen.
People
Brailen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brailen 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
Brailen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brailen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 192 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brailen 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 1,785,179 US residents.
Is Brailen a common name?
We classify Brailen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 194 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brailen most popular?
The single biggest year for Brailen was 2011, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brailen is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Brailen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Brailen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brailen 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 Brailen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Brailen 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 Brailen 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Brailen?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Brailen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.