Brentwood
A name derived from Old English elements meaning "burnt wood" or "burned clearing".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Brentwood. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Brentwood today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brentwood births was 1970 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brentwood. 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 Brentwood. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1970
5 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
1970 SSA rank
#4,802
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Brentwood: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Brentwood 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 Brentwood during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Brentwood
The name Brentwood is a relatively modern English name that originated as a place name. It is derived from the Old English words "burna" meaning a stream or brook, and "wudu" meaning a wood or forest. The name literally translates to "the wood by the brook" or "the wooded area near the stream."
Brentwood was initially used as a topographic name to describe settlements or villages located near a brook or stream in a forested area. The earliest recorded use of the name Brentwood can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was listed as "Brenteswud" and referred to a settlement in Essex, England.
As a given name, Brentwood first gained popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly in England and the United States. It was likely inspired by the picturesque town of Brentwood in Essex, which had become a popular residential area for affluent Londoners seeking a more rural lifestyle.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the given name Brentwood was Brentwood Higman (1883-1956), an American businessman and philanthropist from New York. He was known for his contributions to various educational and cultural institutions, including the founding of the Brentwood Library in his hometown.
Another early bearer of the name was Brentwood Ferguson (1872-1951), an Australian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1914 to 1924.
In the literary world, Brentwood Parvillers (1892-1971) was an American author and poet known for his works exploring themes of nature and the human condition.
In the realm of sports, Brentwood Bucknor (1925-2008) was a Jamaican cricketer who played Test cricket for the West Indies in the 1950s.
Lastly, Brentwood Trent (1920-1995) was a British actor and singer who appeared in several films and television shows in the mid-20th century, including "The Birdman of Alcatraz" and "The Twilight Zone."
While the name Brentwood has retained a certain charm and distinctiveness, it has never been extremely common or popular as a given name. Its origins as a place name and its evocative meaning of a wooded area near a stream have contributed to its enduring appeal as a unique and descriptive moniker.
People
Brentwood + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brentwood 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
Brentwood: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brentwood?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brentwood 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 Brentwood a common name?
We classify Brentwood 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 Brentwood most popular?
The single biggest year for Brentwood was 1970, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brentwood is about 51 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 Brentwood in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Brentwood a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brentwood 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 Brentwood still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Brentwood 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 Brentwood 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 Brentwood as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.