Branda
Of Old German origin, a feminine name meaning "fiery" or "glowing".
Name Census estimates that about 981 living Americans carry the first name Branda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Branda today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Branda births was 1973 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Branda. 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
981
~ 1 in 349,393 Americans
Peak year
1973
36 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2007 SSA rank
#15,808
Tracked since 1945
Census
Branda in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,648 people with the first name Branda, which placed it at #8,722 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
#8,722
National first-name rank
People counted
1.6K
1,648 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
58.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Branda
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Branda is White at 58.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.3%) and Black (14.3%). 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 Branda 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 Branda at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.7% · 967
- Hispanic or Latino17.3% · 285
- Black or African American14.3% · 235
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.7% · 94
- Two or more races2.4% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 28
Popularity
Branda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Branda 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 272 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
Branda 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 Branda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Brandas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Branda, while Illinois, Florida, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Branda
The name Branda is believed to have originated from the Old Norse language, which was spoken by the Norse people in Scandinavia during the Viking Age, approximately between the 8th and 11th centuries. It is derived from the Old Norse word "brandr," meaning "sword" or "firebrand," suggesting a connection to warriors or fierce individuals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Branda can be found in the Icelandic sagas, which are prose narratives written in the 13th and 14th centuries. These sagas often featured characters with names rooted in Old Norse, reflecting the culture and traditions of the time. The name Branda is mentioned in the Saga of the Jómsvikings, which recounts the exploits of a legendary group of Viking mercenaries.
In the 9th century, a Viking chieftain named Branda is mentioned in the Gesta Danorum, a work of Danish history written by the medieval chronicler Saxo Grammaticus. Branda was described as a fierce warrior who participated in raids and battles across Scandinavia and the Baltic region. While details about his life are scarce, his name has endured as a representation of the Viking legacy.
Another historical figure bearing the name Branda was a Norwegian noblewoman who lived in the 12th century. She was the wife of Erling Skakke, a powerful chieftain and advisor to King Magnus V of Norway. Branda's name is recorded in the Heimskringla, a collection of sagas about the Norwegian kings, written by the Icelandic scholar Snorri Sturluson.
In the 13th century, a Swedish nobleman named Branda Jonsson is mentioned in medieval records as a member of the Folkunga dynasty, one of the most prominent noble families in Sweden during the Middle Ages. Branda Jonsson played a role in the political conflicts and power struggles that characterized the period.
Another notable figure with the name Branda was a Danish noblewoman who lived in the 15th century. Branda Olufsdatter was the daughter of a prominent Danish nobleman and was known for her involvement in various religious and charitable endeavors. She was instrumental in the establishment of a hospital and a convent in the city of Odense.
While the name Branda has its roots in Old Norse and was more commonly used in Scandinavia during the Viking Age and medieval period, it has also been adopted in other cultures over time, albeit to a lesser extent. The name's connection to strength, bravery, and warrior spirit has made it a unique and intriguing choice for parents seeking names with historical significance.
People
Branda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Branda 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
Branda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Branda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 981 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Branda 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 349,393 US residents.
Is Branda a common name?
We classify Branda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 90% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,097 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Branda most popular?
The single biggest year for Branda was 1973, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Branda is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Branda in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,648 people with the name Branda, or 0.55 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,722 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 Branda 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 Branda?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Branda leans strongly female. 1,605 people counted with this name were female (97.4%), compared with 42 male bearers (2.6%). 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 Branda?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Branda is White at 58.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.3%) and Black (14.3%). 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 Branda most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Branda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.7% (967 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 Branda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Branda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Branda in the SSA data are female. 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 Branda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Branda 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 Branda 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 the name Branda?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.