Brennus
A masculine name derived from the Celtic word "brennos", meaning a king or chieftain.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Brennus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Brennus today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brennus births was 2015 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brennus. 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 Brennus. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2015
5 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2015 SSA rank
#12,336
Tracked since 2015
Popularity
Brennus: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Brennus 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 Brennus 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 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Brennus
The given name Brennus has its origins in the Celtic languages of ancient Europe. It derives from the Proto-Celtic root *brenno-, which meant "prince" or "king". The earliest known examples of this name come from the Gaulish culture that flourished in what is now France and parts of western Europe prior to the Roman conquest.
One of the most famous historical figures associated with the name Brennus was the leader of a Gallic invasion of the Italian peninsula in the early 4th century BCE. This Brennus sacked and occupied Rome in 390 BCE after defeating the Roman army at the Battle of the Allia River. His forces were eventually repelled, but the sack of Rome by the Gauls under Brennus became a legendary event in Roman history.
Another notable Brennus was a chieftain of the Gauls who led an invasion of Greece and the Balkans in 279 BCE. This Brennus and his forces sacked the ancient city of Delphi and plundered the treasures of the Temple of Apollo before being forced to retreat.
In the medieval period, a Brennus appears in the legendary account of the origins of the Britons written by the 12th century historian Geoffery of Monmouth. This Brennus was a descendant of the Trojan Aeneas and was said to have conquered parts of modern-day France, naming it after himself.
Later historical figures with the name Brennus include Brennus of Alesia (1st century BCE), a Gaulish chieftain who fought against Julius Caesar, and Brennus of Trier (5th century CE), a Gaulish leader who defended the city of Trier against the Huns.
While the name fell out of widespread use after the decline of Celtic cultures, it has occasionally been revived in modern times, often as a way to connect with ancient Celtic heritage and traditions.
People
Brennus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brennus 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
Brennus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brennus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brennus 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Brennus a common name?
We classify Brennus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brennus most popular?
The single biggest year for Brennus was 2015, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brennus is about 11 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 Brennus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Brennus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brennus 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 Brennus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Brennus 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 Brennus 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 Brennus as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Brennus, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.