Given name & surname · also Italian, Old English
Brandon
“from the broom or gorse hill”
Brandon is used as a given name, a surname, and a nickname. One English interpretation is “from the broom or gorse hill.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the broom or gorse hill.”
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Old English and Italian naming traditions.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Brandon through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 774,654
- 770,509 boys · 4,145 girls
- Most popular year
- 1992
- 29,724 babies
- 2025
- 1,326
- #261 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −47%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,326 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 261 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 46.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 29,628 in 1992. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (172). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 642,620 as a first name in 2020; 23,986 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Brandon’s family of names
In Filipino usage, Brandon developed from the Irish form Breandán. In English usage, Brandon has a related form in Brendan. In English usage, Brandon has a related form in Branden.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Brandon has relatives in 9 languages. Lines run from its Old English roots to each of them.
15 related names in 9 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 16
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 17
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Brandon
- Brandon LeeAmerican actor (1965–1993)
- Brandon SandersonAmerican fantasy writer (born 1975)
- Brandon RouthAmerican actorborn 1979
- Brandon HardestyAmerican actorborn 1987
- Brandon FlynnAmerican actorborn 1993
- Brandon FlowersAmerican indie rock singerborn 1981
- Brandon MecheleBelgian footballerborn 1993
- Bam MargeraAmerican professional skateboarder and stuntmanborn 1979
- Brandon RoyAmerican basketball player and coach (born 1984)
Characters named Brandon: Bran Stark (A Song of Ice and Fire), Brandon Walsh ("Beverly Hills, 90210").
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Brandon, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Alex
“helper and defender of mankind”
94% boys · 6% girls
Ashton
“from the ash-tree town”
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Austin
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Devon
“from the beautiful farmland; of the divine”
86% boys · 14% girls
Dalton
“from the town in the valley”
99% boys · 1% girls
Clayton
“from the town settled on clay”
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Bradley
“from the broad field” · “from the wide meadow”
96% boys · 4% girls
Dawson
“the son of David”
96% boys · 4% girls