Given name & surname · also English
Brennan
“resembling a little raven”·“a sorrowful man; a teardrop”
Brennan is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “resembling a little raven” (English) and “a sorrowful man; a teardrop”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “resembling a little raven” (English) and “a sorrowful man; a teardrop”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
From Irish Ó Braonáin (“descendant of Braonán”), from Irish Ó Branáin (“descendant of Branán”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1916. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Brennan through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 35,487
- 33,258 boys · 2,229 girls
- Most popular year
- 2009
- 1,550 babies
- 2025
- 236
- #1,003 for boys · #9,557 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −44%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 92% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 226 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,003 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 44.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 1,464 in 2009. It also appeared in 10 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (18). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 31,223 as a first name in 2020; 47,806 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.
Brennan’s family of names
In English usage, Brennan has a feminine form in Brenna. In English usage, Brennan has a related form in Brendan. Brennan has a related form in Brennen.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 15
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Brennan
- Brennan JohnsonWelsh-English association football player (born 2001)
- Brennan BrownAmerican stage, film, and television actorborn 1968
- Brennan HeartDutch DJ and hardstyle producerborn 1982
- Brennan Elliottactorborn 1975
- Brennan Mejiaactorborn 1990
- Brennan OthmannCanadian ice hockey playerborn 2003
- Brennan Manningwriter, American Roman Catholic priest and United States Marine1934–2013
- Brennan Boeschbaseball player from the United Statesborn 1985
- Brennan EvansCanadian ice hockey playerborn 1982
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Brennan, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Brogan
“one who is sturdy; reliable”
84% boys · 16% girls
Ewan
“the little swift one”
>99% boys
Braden
“resembling salmon” · “from the wide valley”
>99% boys
Keegan
“small and fiery woman” · “a small and fiery man”
90% boys · 10% girls
Evan
“God is gracious”
98% boys · 2% girls
Tiernan
“lord of the manor”
95% boys · 5% girls
Ean
“God is gracious”
>99% boys
Keelan
“a slender and beautiful woman” · “a slender man”
95% boys · 5% girls