Brentin
An anglicized form of the Irish surname "Brennan", meaning descendent of a freckled person.
Name Census estimates that about 178 living Americans carry the first name Brentin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Brentin today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brentin births was 2011 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brentin. 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
178
~ 1 in 1,925,586 Americans
Peak year
2011
12 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2020 SSA rank
#9,713
Tracked since 1985
Popularity
Brentin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brentin from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 64 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
Brentin 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 Brentin 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 Brentin
The name Brentin has its origins in the ancient Celtic language, with roots that can be traced back to the 5th century BCE. It is believed to be derived from the Proto-Celtic word "brentos," which means "prince" or "highborn." This name was particularly popular among the Celtic tribes that inhabited the regions now known as Ireland, Scotland, and parts of England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brentin can be found in the ancient Irish epic, the Táin Bó Cúailnge, which dates back to the 8th century CE. In this epic, Brentin is mentioned as a warrior and chieftain of the Ulaid tribe, renowned for his bravery and leadership skills.
During the Middle Ages, the name Brentin was often associated with nobility and royalty. One notable figure bearing this name was Brentin ap Rhys, a Welsh prince who lived in the 12th century and played a significant role in the Welsh resistance against Norman invaders.
In the 16th century, Brentin Macleod was a Scottish clan chief who led his people in the Western Isles of Scotland. He is remembered for his fierce loyalty to the Scottish crown and his involvement in the Scottish Wars of Independence.
Another historical figure of note was Brentin O'Sullivan, an Irish chieftain from the 17th century who fought against the English colonization of Ireland. His exploits and resistance to English rule are well-documented in Irish folklore and historical accounts.
In the 19th century, Brentin Whitaker was a renowned British explorer and adventurer who undertook several expeditions to Africa and the Middle East. His travels and discoveries were widely documented in his memoirs and contributed significantly to the field of geography and exploration.
While the name Brentin has fallen out of widespread use in modern times, its rich history and Celtic origins continue to captivate those interested in onomastics and the study of names. Its association with nobility, bravery, and leadership has left an indelible mark on the cultural heritage of the Celtic regions where it was once prevalent.
People
Brentin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brentin 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
Brentin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brentin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 178 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brentin 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 1,925,586 US residents.
Is Brentin a common name?
We classify Brentin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 181 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brentin most popular?
The single biggest year for Brentin was 2011, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brentin is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Brentin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brentin 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.