Broderick
A masculine name of Old German origin meaning "bright one".
Name Census estimates that about 8,474 living Americans carry the first name Broderick. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Broderick today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Broderick births was 2009 (253 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Broderick. 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
8.5K
~ 1 in 40,448 Americans
Peak year
2009
253 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,391
Tracked since 1950
Popularity
Broderick: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Broderick from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 1,889 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
Broderick 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 Broderick during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Brodericks live
The SSA's state-level files cover 34 states and territories. Texas, California, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Broderick, while Oklahoma, New Jersey, Utah recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 165 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Broderick
The name Broderick originated from the Old English word "brodor," which means "brother." It was a common name used in medieval England, particularly among Christian families who saw the name as a symbol of brotherhood and unity within the church.
The earliest recorded use of the name Broderick dates back to the 11th century, when it appeared in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholders and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name was already established within Anglo-Saxon communities before the Norman Conquest.
One of the earliest notable figures to bear the name Broderick was Broderick the Saxon, a prominent landowner and nobleman who lived during the reign of King Henry II in the 12th century. He was known for his role in the conflicts between the English and Welsh during that period.
Another historical figure with the name Broderick was Saint Broderick, a 7th-century Irish monk and missionary who played a significant role in spreading Christianity throughout northern England and Scotland. He is revered as the patron saint of several parishes in the British Isles.
In the 16th century, Broderick Douglas was a Scottish nobleman and military leader who fought alongside King James IV of Scotland at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. Despite being captured by the English, he later played a crucial role in the defense of Scotland during the Anglo-Scottish Wars.
Broderick Crawford, an American actor born in 1911 and died in 1986, is perhaps one of the most famous individuals with this name in modern times. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Willie Stark in the 1949 film "All the King's Men."
Another notable figure was Broderick Hogan, an Irish revolutionary born in 1903 and died in 1988. He was a prominent member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and played a significant role in the Irish War of Independence and the subsequent Irish Civil War.
While the name Broderick has its roots in Old English and was predominantly used in the British Isles, it has since gained popularity in various parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries, as a reflection of its rich historical heritage and cultural significance.
People
Broderick + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Broderick 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
Broderick: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Broderick?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8,474 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Broderick 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 40,448 US residents.
Is Broderick a common name?
We classify Broderick as "Rare". It ranks above 97.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 8,900 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Broderick most popular?
The single biggest year for Broderick was 2009, when 253 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Broderick is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Broderick a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Broderick 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.