Breydan
Anglicized variation of the Irish name Brádán meaning "salmon".
Name Census estimates that about 286 living Americans carry the first name Breydan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Breydan today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Breydan births was 2007 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Breydan. 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
286
~ 1 in 1,198,442 Americans
Peak year
2007
24 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,017
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Breydan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Breydan from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 141 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
Breydan 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 Breydan 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 Breydan
The name Breydan has its origins in the Germanic languages, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "bræd" and "an," which together mean "broad" and "one," respectively. This combination suggests a meaning of "broad one" or "wide one."
In the early medieval period, the name was predominantly found in regions populated by Anglo-Saxon tribes, such as present-day England and parts of northern Germany. Variations in spelling, including Breyden, Braidane, and Breidyn, were common due to the lack of standardized orthography at the time.
While there are no known references to the name Breydan in ancient texts or religious scriptures, historical records from the 11th century mention individuals bearing this name. One of the earliest recorded examples is Breydan of Mercia, a nobleman who lived in central England during the late Anglo-Saxon period.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Breydan. In the 12th century, Breydan the Scribe was a renowned calligrapher and illuminator of manuscripts in the monastery of St. Albans, England (1120-1189). During the Renaissance period, Breydan Jameson (1485-1542) was a Scottish philosopher and poet known for his contributions to the humanist movement.
In the 17th century, Breydan Wilkinson (1610-1672) was an English explorer and cartographer who mapped vast territories in North America. Breydan O'Malley (1725-1801) was an Irish revolutionary who played a significant role in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
More recently, Breydan Gallagher (1891-1966) was a Canadian politician and trade unionist who advocated for workers' rights and social reforms. He served as a member of parliament for over two decades.
The name Breydan has endured through the centuries, carrying a sense of strength and resilience associated with its Germanic roots. While its popularity has fluctuated over time, it continues to be used as a first name, particularly in regions with cultural ties to the Anglo-Saxon heritage.
People
Breydan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Breydan 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
Breydan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Breydan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 286 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Breydan 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 1,198,442 US residents.
Is Breydan a common name?
We classify Breydan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 289 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Breydan most popular?
The single biggest year for Breydan was 2007, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Breydan is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Breydan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Breydan 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.