Brayshawn
A masculine name possibly derived from "Brayden" and "Shawn".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Brayshawn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Brayshawn today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brayshawn births was 2016 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brayshawn. 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 Brayshawn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2016
6 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2016 SSA rank
#10,938
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Brayshawn: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Brayshawn 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 Brayshawn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Brayshawn
The name Brayshawn is a modern invention that combines elements from different sources. It does not have a definitive origin rooted in a specific culture or language.
The first part of the name, "Bray," may be derived from the Old English word "bræge," meaning "gadfly" or "horsefly." It could also be a variation of the French surname "Bray," which refers to a place name in Normandy. However, the connection to these roots is tenuous and likely unintentional.
The latter part of the name, "shawn," is a more recognizable component. It is a variation of the Irish name "Seán," which is derived from the ancient Hebrew name "Yochanan," meaning "God is gracious." The spelling "Shawn" became popular in the United States as an Anglicized form of the Irish name.
While the name Brayshawn does not have a long historical trail, it has gained some recognition in recent decades. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Brayshawn Cooley, an American football player born in 1993. He played college football for the University of Louisville and later signed with the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Another notable bearer of the name is Brayshawn Rankin, an American basketball player born in 1997. He played college basketball for the University of Texas at El Paso and had a brief stint in the NBA G League.
In the realm of music, Brayshawn Iman is an American singer and songwriter born in 1992. He gained recognition for his work with the R&B group Mindless Behavior.
Outside of the United States, Brayshawn Alexis is a professional footballer from Trinidad and Tobago, born in 1998. He currently plays for the club team TunaPuna FC.
Lastly, Brayshawn Sims is an American actor and filmmaker born in 1990. He is known for his roles in various independent films and web series.
While the name Brayshawn does not have a deep historical legacy, its unique blend of elements has contributed to its growing popularity in recent times, particularly in the United States.
People
Brayshawn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brayshawn 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
Brayshawn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brayshawn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brayshawn 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Brayshawn a common name?
We classify Brayshawn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brayshawn most popular?
The single biggest year for Brayshawn was 2016, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brayshawn 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 Brayshawn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Brayshawn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brayshawn 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 Brayshawn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Brayshawn 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 Brayshawn 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 have the name Brayshawn?
Want to know how many people have the name Brayshawn? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.