Brendalyn
A feminine name derived from the Celtic name Brendan, meaning "prince."
Name Census estimates that about 253 living Americans carry the first name Brendalyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Brendalyn today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brendalyn births was 1948 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brendalyn. 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
253
~ 1 in 1,354,760 Americans
Peak year
1948
14 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2023 SSA rank
#15,582
Tracked since 1948
Census
Brendalyn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 393 people with the first name Brendalyn, which placed it at #24,486 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
#24,486
National first-name rank
People counted
393
393 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
46.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brendalyn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Brendalyn is Black at 46.8%. The next largest groups are White (24.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.0%). 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 Brendalyn 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 Brendalyn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.8% · 184
- White24.7% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander14.0% · 55
- Hispanic or Latino7.4% · 29
- Two or more races5.3% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 7
Popularity
Brendalyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brendalyn from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 63 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brendalyn 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 Brendalyn 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 Brendalyn
Brendalyn is a feminine given name of English origin, believed to have emerged in the late 20th century as a combination of the names Brenda and Gwendolyn. The name Brenda itself is derived from the Old Norse name Brandr, which means "sword." Gwendolyn, on the other hand, is a Welsh name derived from the elements gwen, meaning "fair" or "white," and dolen, meaning "ring" or "circle."
While the name Brendalyn does not have any direct historical references or appearances in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its components, Brenda and Gwendolyn, have their own fascinating histories. The name Brenda gained popularity in the early 20th century, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brenda is found in the 16th century, when it was used as a surname in England.
As for the name Gwendolyn, it has its roots in Welsh mythology and literature. The name was borne by several characters in medieval Welsh tales, including the wife of the legendary King Arthur in some versions of the Arthurian legends.
Regarding notable individuals who have borne the name Brendalyn, it is a relatively modern and uncommon name, so historical examples are scarce. However, here are five individuals who have carried this name:
1. Brendalyn Gail Richards Carpenter (born in the mid-20th century), an American author and illustrator of children's books.
2. Brendalyn Paige Slockbower (born in the late 20th century), an American artist and painter known for her vibrant abstract works.
3. Brendalyn Adams (born in the late 20th century), a Canadian entrepreneur and co-founder of a successful fashion brand.
4. Brendalyn Shropshire (born in the mid-20th century), an American educator and advocate for literacy programs.
5. Brendalyn Williamson (born in the late 20th century), a British-born actress who has appeared in several stage productions and independent films.
While the name Brendalyn may not have a long and storied history, it carries the essence of its constituent names, combining the strength and resilience of Brenda with the beauty and grace of Gwendolyn. As a relatively modern name, it continues to evolve and gain its own unique identity in the present day.
People
Brendalyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brendalyn 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
Brendalyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brendalyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 253 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brendalyn 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 1,354,760 US residents.
Is Brendalyn a common name?
We classify Brendalyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 296 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brendalyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Brendalyn was 1948, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brendalyn is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Brendalyn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 393 people with the name Brendalyn, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #24,486 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 Brendalyn 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 Brendalyn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Brendalyn appears almost entirely female. Of the 387 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Brendalyn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Brendalyn is Black at 46.8%. The next largest groups are White (24.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.0%). 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 Brendalyn most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Brendalyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.8% (184 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 Brendalyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Brendalyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brendalyn 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 Brendalyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Brendalyn 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 Brendalyn 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 Americans are named Brendalyn?
You can see how many Americans are named Brendalyn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.