Brenda

Girl name

Brenda has been given to 610,597 babies in the U.S. since 1897. It peaked in 1957.

Meaning & origin /ˈbɹɛndə/

Possibly from Old Norse brandr (“sword”); by folk etymology seen as a feminine form of Brendan. Its use as a nickname for Queen Elizabeth II originated in Private Eye in reaction to a perceived attempt by the royals to appear less distant and upper class.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

610,597

Peak year

1957 (24,395 babies)

Rank in 2025

Below top 1000

First recorded

1897

10-year trend

▼ -60%

Gender split

100% girls / 0% boys

Famous people named Brenda

Brenda Song

American actress and model (born 1988)

Brenda Fricker

Irish actress (1945–2026)

Brenda Blethyn

British actress

Brenda Vaccaro

American actress

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Brenda.

596,462 babies since 1895

588,495 babies since 1880

558,291 babies since 1880

551,841 babies since 1914

669,611 babies since 1880

520,034 babies since 1898

512,777 babies since 1880

713,412 babies since 1880

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