Branston
Place name derived from a town in Lincolnshire, England.
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the first name Branston. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Branston today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Branston births was 2016 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Branston. 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
120
~ 1 in 2,856,286 Americans
Peak year
2016
12 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,064
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Branston: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Branston 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 75 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
Branston 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 Branston 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 Branston
The name Branston traces its origins to the Old English language, where it was derived from the combination of two words: "bran," meaning a type of coarse grain, and "tun," meaning an enclosure or village. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a settlement or area where bran or grain was cultivated or processed.
In the early medieval period, the name Branston was primarily associated with various locations in England, such as villages and parishes. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Brandestone," referring to a village in Lincolnshire.
Throughout the Middle Ages and into the early modern era, the name Branston remained predominantly used as a locational surname, denoting individuals or families who hailed from these Branston settlements. However, over time, it also began to be adopted as a given name in its own right.
One notable historical figure bearing the name Branston was Sir Branston Sketton (c. 1570 - 1633), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire in the early 17th century. Another individual of note was Branston Strettell (1732 - 1797), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, the name Branston gained further recognition with the birth of Branston Parsonage (1804 - 1877), an English artist and illustrator known for his landscape paintings and etchings of rural scenes. Around the same time, Branston Curry (1822 - 1896), a British civil engineer and inventor, made his mark with his contributions to the development of early railway systems.
Moving into the 20th century, one prominent figure named Branston was Branston Howard (1902 - 1987), an American actor and radio personality who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout his career. Another notable individual was Branston Leigh (1914 - 2003), a British author and playwright who wrote several novels and plays exploring themes of social commentary and satire.
While the name Branston may have originated as a locational designation, it has evolved over time to become a unique and distinctive given name, carrying with it a rich historical legacy spanning centuries and encompassing individuals from various walks of life.
People
Branston + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Branston 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
Branston: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Branston?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 120 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Branston 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 2,856,286 US residents.
Is Branston a common name?
We classify Branston as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 121 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Branston most popular?
The single biggest year for Branston was 2016, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Branston 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 Branston in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Branston a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Branston 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 Branston still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Branston 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 Branston 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 Branston?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Branston, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.