Bren
A diminutive form of the Irish name Brendan, meaning "prince".
Name Census estimates that about 701 living Americans carry the first name Bren. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 76.1% of registrations being male. The average person named Bren today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bren births was 2008 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bren. 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
701
~ 1 in 488,951 Americans
Peak year
2008
27 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,079
Tracked since 1956
Gender
Gender distribution for Bren
Bren is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 729 total registrations, 555 (76.1%) were male and 174 (23.9%) were female.
Bren as a male name
- Ranked #9,079 in 2024
- 8 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2003 (16 births)
Bren as a female name
- Ranked #13,885 in 2022
- 6 female births in 2022
- Peak: 1999 (12 births)
Popularity
Bren: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bren from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 190 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bren 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 Bren during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Brens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Bren
The name Bren is believed to have originated from the Celtic language, specifically from the Breton and Welsh regions of northwestern France and Wales. It is thought to be derived from the Old Celtic word "bren," meaning "hill" or "high place."
In ancient Celtic cultures, names often held deep significance and were closely tied to nature and the physical world. The name Bren may have been given to individuals born or residing in elevated areas, such as hills or mountains. Alternatively, it could have been used as a descriptive name for someone tall or imposing in stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bren can be found in the medieval Welsh text known as the "Mabinogion," a collection of prose stories from the 11th to 13th centuries. The character Bran the Blessed, also known as Bran Fendigaid, is a prominent figure in this work and is portrayed as a legendary king of Britain.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Bren. In the 6th century, Saint Brendan the Navigator (c. 484-577) was an Irish monk and explorer who is said to have undertaken a remarkable voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, possibly reaching North America. His name, Brénainn, is believed to be a variation of the name Bren.
Another historical figure associated with the name is Bren Seren (c. 1553-1607), a Welsh poet and writer who made significant contributions to Welsh literature during the Renaissance period. His works include religious poems, translations, and writings on Welsh history and culture.
During the 20th century, the name gained prominence with individuals such as Brendan Behan (1923-1964), an Irish novelist, poet, and playwright known for his works that explored Irish culture and identity. Brendan Bracken (1901-1958) was a British politician and close confidant of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, serving as Minister of Information during World War II.
Additionally, Brendan Gleeson (born 1955) is an acclaimed Irish actor known for his roles in films such as "Braveheart," "Gangs of New York," and the "Harry Potter" series. Brendan Fraser (born 1968) is a Canadian-American actor who rose to fame in the 1990s with roles in films like "The Mummy" and "George of the Jungle."
People
Bren + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bren 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
Bren: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bren?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 701 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bren 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 488,951 US residents.
Is Bren a common name?
We classify Bren as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 729 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bren most popular?
The single biggest year for Bren was 2008, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bren is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bren a male name?
Yes, 76.1% of people registered as Bren 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.
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.