Drennen
A masculine name of Welsh origin meaning "strongly formed" or "firm".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Drennen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Drennen today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Drennen births was 2003 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Drennen. 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 Drennen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2003
5 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2003 SSA rank
#11,368
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Drennen: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Drennen 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 Drennen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Drennen
The name Drennen is an anglicized form of the Irish name Drennán or Drennane. It has its origins in the Gaelic language, which was spoken in Ireland and parts of Scotland. The name Drennán likely derives from the Irish words "draighean" meaning blackthorn or "dronn" meaning firm or strong.
The earliest recorded use of the name Drennen can be traced back to the 16th century in Ireland. It was commonly found in the counties of Galway, Mayo, and Sligo on the western coast of Ireland. The name may have been associated with families or clans that lived in these areas during that time period.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Drennen was Tomás Drennen, an Irish soldier who fought in the Nine Years' War (1593-1603) against English forces. He was born in County Mayo in the late 16th century and was known for his bravery and skill in battle.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the name Drennen was Seán Drennen, a Catholic priest who lived in County Galway. He was involved in the Irish Confederate Wars (1641-1653) and was known for his support of the Catholic cause during that turbulent period of Irish history.
During the 18th century, a prominent individual with the name Drennen was Patrick Drennen (1722-1789), an Irish-born American settler and entrepreneur. He emigrated to Pennsylvania in the 1740s and later became a successful businessman and landowner in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
In the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the name Drennen was William Drennen (1801-1867), an Irish-born American physician and educator. He was a pioneer in the field of medical education and helped establish the University of Louisville School of Medicine, where he served as the first dean.
Another notable figure from the 19th century was John Drennen (1832-1901), an Irish-born American politician and lawyer. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas from 1883 to 1889 and was known for his advocacy of civil rights and efforts to promote education in the South.
People
Drennen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Drennen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Drennen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Drennen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Drennen 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 Drennen a common name?
We classify Drennen 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 Drennen most popular?
The single biggest year for Drennen was 2003, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Drennen is about 23 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 Drennen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Drennen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Drennen 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 Drennen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Drennen 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 Drennen 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 are named Drennen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.