Brander
A variant of the name Brandon derived from the Old English place name meaning "hill by the burnt lands".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Brander. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Brander today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brander births was 2008 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brander. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Brander. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2008
5 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,500
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Brander: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brander from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brander 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 Brander 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 Brander
The name Brander is believed to have its origins in the Old Norse language, spoken by the Germanic peoples of Scandinavia during the Viking Age (800-1050 AD). It is derived from the Old Norse word "brandr," which means "firebrand" or "burning log." This suggests that the name may have originally been given to someone with a fiery personality or perhaps someone who worked with fire, such as a blacksmith or a glassblower.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brander can be found in the Icelandic Landnámabók (Book of Settlements), which dates back to the late 12th century. The book mentions a figure named Brandr Högnason, who settled in Iceland during the 9th century. This indicates that the name was already in use among the Norse peoples during the early years of the Viking Age.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Brander. In the 16th century, Brander Jonsson (1537-1589) was a Swedish clergyman and one of the first Protestant bishops of the Diocese of Växjö. Another prominent figure was Brander Schytte (1608-1653), a Swedish military officer and courtier who served as the Lord High Constable of Sweden during the reign of Queen Christina.
In the 18th century, Brander Gustavsson (1733-1792) was a Swedish merchant and shipowner who played a significant role in the development of the Swedish East India Company. He established trading routes between Sweden and Asia, contributing to the country's economic growth during that period.
Moving into the 19th century, Brander Matthews (1837-1914) was an American writer, scholar, and professor of dramatic literature at Columbia University. He was considered a leading authority on the works of Shakespeare and other Elizabethan playwrights. Matthews also served as the president of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Another notable figure was Brander Rasmussen (1890-1965), a Danish architect who was instrumental in the development of the Functionalist architectural style in Denmark. His most famous works include the Grundtvig's Church in Copenhagen and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
While the name Brander may not be as common today as it once was, it has left an indelible mark on history, with individuals from various fields and backgrounds bearing this distinctive moniker. The name's connection to fire and the Viking Age gives it a sense of strength and resilience, reflecting the spirit of those who carried it through the centuries.
People
Brander + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brander 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
Brander: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brander?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brander 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Brander a common name?
We classify Brander as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brander most popular?
The single biggest year for Brander was 2008, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brander is about 10 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 Brander in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Brander a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brander 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 Brander still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Brander 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 Brander 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 many people are named Brander?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.