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✨ UncommonBoy nameIrish (Gaelic)

Brendan

“Prince”

2 syllables · 7 letters

About the name Brendan

Saint Brendan the Navigator supposedly sailed a leather boat to a paradise in the west, which is a fine origin story for any child. The name peaked with the Irish-American revival of the eighties and nineties and has slipped far enough since to feel usable again.

Brendan is a boy name of Irish (Gaelic) origin, pronounced BREN-dun. On the NameRarity scale it scores 53 out of 100, which places it in the uncommon band — familiar to everyone, yet rarely duplicated in the same room. Its strongest period was the 1990s.

Associated with
genialadventurouscandidsturdy

Name facts at a glance

Meaning
Prince
Origin
Irish (Gaelic)
Gender
Boy
Pronunciation
BREN-dun
Syllables
2
Letters
7
US rank
#520
Peak era
1990s
Rarity
53 / 100
Per million
~76
Starts with
B
Numerology
4 · The Builder

How popular is Brendan?

Popularity47/100
Rarity53/100

Brendan sits at approximately #520 in recent US rankings. Roughly 76 people per million carry it — about 1 in 13,158. In a school of 1,000 pupils you would expect not to find a single one.

Famous people named Brendan

  • Brendan Fraser
    Canadian-American actor and Academy Award winner
  • Brendan Gleeson
    Irish actor and director
  • Brendan Behan
    Irish playwright and memoirist

Spellings and variants of Brendan

BrendonBreandánBrenden

Names similar to Brendan

Rare

Kieran

KEER-un

Little dark-haired one

Irish (Gaelic)60% rare
Uncommon

Donovan

DON-uh-vun

Dark-haired chieftain

Irish (Gaelic)55% rare
Uncommon

Brian

BRY-un

Noble, high

Irish (Gaelic)42% rare
Rare

Killian

KIL-ee-un

Little church, strife

Irish (Gaelic)63% rare
Popular

Declan

DEK-lun

Full of goodness

Irish (Gaelic)32% rare
Rare

Ronan

ROH-nun

Little seal

Irish (Gaelic)58% rare
Rare

Sullivan

SUL-ih-vun

Dark-eyed, hawk-eyed

Irish (Gaelic)68% rare
Rare

Desmond

DEZ-mund

From South Munster

Irish (Gaelic)64% rare
Browse all 1,284 names →

Brendan — frequently asked questions

What does the name Brendan mean?

Brendan means "Prince". It is a name of Irish (Gaelic) origin, most often given to a boy.

How do you pronounce Brendan?

Brendan is pronounced BREN-dun, with 2 syllables.

How rare is the name Brendan?

Brendan scores 53 out of 100 on the NameRarity scale, which makes it uncommon. Roughly 1 in every 13,158 people carry it — about 76 per million.

What is the numerology number for Brendan?

Brendan carries the expression number 4, known as The Builder. Its soul urge number is 6 and its personality number is 7.

What is the lucky number and lucky colour for Brendan?

The lucky number for Brendan is 4 (with 13, 22, 31 also favourable), and its lucky colour is Deep Emerald. The traditional lucky day is Saturday and the associated gemstone is Emerald.

Is Brendan a popular name?

Brendan currently sits around rank #520 in the United States, and its strongest period was the 1990s.