Brendt
A masculine Scandinavian name possibly derived from the Old Norse word "brandr" meaning "sword".
Name Census estimates that about 194 living Americans carry the first name Brendt. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Brendt today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brendt births was 1988 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brendt. 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
194
~ 1 in 1,766,775 Americans
Peak year
1988
12 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
2002 SSA rank
#9,535
Tracked since 1961
Popularity
Brendt: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brendt from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 78 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brendt 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 Brendt 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 Brendt
The name Brendt is believed to have originated from the Germanic name Brant, which means "fire" or "burning." It is thought to have been derived from the Old High German word "brinnan," which means "to burn." This name was particularly popular among the Germanic tribes of Europe during the Middle Ages.
The name Brendt can also be traced back to the Old Norse name Brandr, which has a similar meaning to the Germanic version. This name was commonly used by the Vikings and other Scandinavian peoples during the Viking Age, which lasted from the late 8th century to the late 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brendt can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, which are a collection of stories and historical accounts written in the 13th and 14th centuries. In these sagas, there are mentions of various characters with the name Brandr or Brendt.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Brendt or one of its variations. One such person was Brendt Anker (1635-1702), a Norwegian naval officer and shipbuilder who played a significant role in the development of the Danish-Norwegian Navy.
Another notable figure was Brendt Monselet (1641-1721), a Dutch artist known for his landscape paintings and etchings. His works often depicted scenes of the Dutch countryside and are considered valuable representations of 17th-century Dutch life.
In the field of literature, there was Brendt Åkessön (1472-1539), a Swedish scholar and writer who translated several works from Latin into Swedish. He is credited with introducing the Renaissance literary style to Sweden and was a prominent figure in the country's cultural development during the 16th century.
Moving to the 19th century, Brendt Carlsen (1819-1895) was a Norwegian politician and businessman who served as the Prime Minister of Norway from 1884 to 1885. He played a significant role in the country's economic and political development during the latter part of the 19th century.
Lastly, Brendt Braaten (1886-1954) was a Norwegian-American artist known for his landscape paintings and etchings. His works often depicted scenes of the American West and captured the beauty of the region's natural landscapes.
While the name Brendt is not as common today as it once was, it carries a rich historical legacy and has been borne by many notable individuals throughout the centuries.
People
Brendt + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brendt 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
Brendt: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brendt?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 194 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brendt 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 1,766,775 US residents.
Is Brendt a common name?
We classify Brendt as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 207 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brendt most popular?
The single biggest year for Brendt was 1988, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brendt is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Brendt a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brendt 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.