Brandon is a masculine given name representing a transferred use of the English surname Brandon. The surname is toponymic in origin and may derive from any of various places in England named Brandon or Brundon. The place name in most cases derives from Old English brōm dūn, meaning "broom hill". An exception is Brandon, Lincolnshire, where the first element is the river name Brant.
There is also an Irish surname that coincides in form with the English one. It derives from Irish (Mac) Breandáin, meaning "son of Breandán".
The given name Brandy was likely invented as a feminine form of Brandon.
Statistics
Australia
In Australia's most populated state, New South Wales, in the year 2009, Brandon did not crack the top 100 male, or top 100 female, names of babies registered in New South Wales.
Canada
In the Canadian province of British Columbia, the name ranked as the 66th most popular male name for the year 2007; it did not rank as a female name (to rank the name had to have been used by 5 or more occurrences).
Chile
In Chile, the name has not cracked the top 50 male names in the years spanning 1999 to 2006; from 2003 to 2006 it was amongst the top 100 male names.
Rank and percent of the male name
Year 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Rank >50 >50 >50 >50 62 63 67 70 Percent 0.18 0.17 0.16 0.14
The Netherlands In the year 2009, Brandon was the 160th most common male name, recorded in births, in the Netherlands; there were 67 occurrences of the name recorded that year. See also: The previous year the name ranked 159th, with 73 recorded occurrences. See also:
Republic of Ireland
Rank of male Irish baby births, and rank of male Irish names
Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Rank (births) 67 89 88 67 92 80 85 63 84 74 75 Rank (total) 74 67 67 83 70 76 78 98 79 97 101
Sweden
In Sweden, there were 230 males registered in 2009 who had the first name Brandon; of these men, 170 recorded the name as a nickname. In the years spanning 2002 to 2009, the name was not amongst the top 100 male, or female, baby names.. See also for individual tables:
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the name has risen in popularity since the mid-1990s.. The webpage cited the following book for the given name "Brandon":
England and Wales In England and Wales, in the year 2008, Brandon was the 70th most common male baby name, along with Breasen being a form of Brandon or meaning son of Brandon, with 1,011 occurrences recorded. It had fallen in rank, slightly from the previous year when it was ranked 66th most common, with 1161 occurrences. The name has dramatically fallen in popularity since 1998, when it was ranked 36th, with 2142 occurrences recorded.
Rank and numbers of English and Welsh baby births Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Rank 36 35 35 37 37 40 44 47 54 66 70 Count 1,161 1,011
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, Brandon was not amongst the top 20 names of male, or female, babies born in the year 2009. It did not crack the top 100 male, or the top 100 female, names registered in the two previous years either. In 2002 the name was ranked 84 most common male baby name, falling drastically from 30th ranked name the year before.
Rank and numbers of male Northern Irish baby births
The name did not rank amongst the top 100 male baby names in 2007 and 2008.
Year 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Rank 70 59 56 84 88 74 89 97 Count 42 51 54 30 31 40 33 33
Scotland
In Scotland, in the year 2009, the name was ranked as the 90th most common names for male babies, with 67 occurrences recorded. The name had dramatically fallen in popularity from the previous year. In the years 1998 and 1999, the name was the 46th most common name for male births, although the name has fallen in rank in almost every year since then.
Rank and percent of male Scottish baby births
Year 1900. See specifically: 1950. See specifically: 1975. See specifically: 1997. See specifically: 1998. See specifically: 1999. See specifically: 2000. See specifically: 2001. See specifically: 2002. See specifically: 2003. See specifically: 2004 2005. See specifically: 2006. See also: 2007. See also: 2008. See also: 2009. See also: Rank >100 >100 >100 53 52 46 46 49 53 61 53 61 65 75 71 90 Count >100 >100 >100 149 142 173 161 153 138 138 108 110 105 88 98 67
United States
The name is, for the most part, found in North America. In 1982, the name was the 7th most common given name amongst African American males, and the 23rd most common name amongst White American males. The webpage cited the following book for the given name "Brandon": The name was ranked in the 1990 United States census as being the 68th most common name amongst males. See also:
The Social Security Administration website lists the top 1,000 American baby names for every year since 1879. In the year 1950, Brandon first reached the top 1,000 male names for babies who were registered for Social Security numbers for births. That year it was the 936th most common masculine name. From that year until the beginning of the 1990s, the name has, for the most part, risen in popularity with every successive year. It reached its peak in the years 1992, 1993, and 1994, when it was the 6th most popular name amongst male babies. The name has fallen in popularity in almost every year since then; in 2009, it was ranked the 38th most common name registered that year.
Brandon is considered to be a very masculine name; however, in the United States it has also been used as a feminine name. In 1981, it reached the top 1,000 female names for babies who were registered for Social Security numbers for births; that year it was the 748th most common female name registered for births. The name stayed within the top 1,000 female names from 1981 to 1988, fluctuating in rank; it reached its peak in 1985, when it ranked 661st; in 1988, it ranked 990th.
In 2009, the names Brandon and Bryan were ranked as the 15th most common names for male twins, according to Social Security number applications for births.
Years when the name ranked amongst the top 1,000 American baby names
The following table lists the year and rank when Brandon ranked amongst the top 1,000 male, or the top 1,000 female, baby names in the United States. If no rank is given in the table, then the name was not amongst the top 1,000. The highest rank for males, and for females, is labelled in boldface.
Year 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Rank (male)936 985 812 662 583 723 585 666 661 567 577 565 566 498 455 393 379 341 263 217
Year 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 Rank (male) 131 95 63 58 51 44 40 41 40 35 30 19 18 17 15 13 13 14 17 18 Rank (female) 748 804 683 706 661 683 806 990
Year 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Rank (male) 19 15 6 7 6 8 8 7 7 11 12 18 20 21 22 27 27 31 33 38 Year 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Rank (male) 44 47 56 70 71 83 99 114 124 141 167 181 211
People with the name Brandon Academia Brandon Carter (born 1942), Australian theoretical physicist Brandon Centerwall (born 1954), American epidemiologist and former professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences Brandon Garrett (born 1975), American professor of law Brandon Plewe, American geographer and associate professor of geography Brandon R. Byrd, American academic and historian
Art Brandon Breaux (born 1983), American multi-disciplinary artist Brandon LaBelle (born 1969), American artist and sound theorist
Business Brandon Anderson, American sociologist and entrepreneur Brandon Blackwood, American fashion designer and businessman Brandon Gough (1937–2012), British businessman and college chancellor Brandon Judd, American president of the National Border Patrol Council Brandon Metcalf (born 1986), American record producer and entrepreneur Brandon Nicholson (born 1983/1984), American nonprofit chief executive Brandon Schantz (1980–2007), American broadcaster, sports director, and television producer Brandon Schneider, American sports executive Brandon Silverstein (born 1991), American entrepreneur Brandon Sosna (c. 1992–1993), American sports administrator and executive Brandon Steiner (born 1959), American sports marketer Brandon Tartikoff (1949–1997), American television executive Brandon Taubman (born 1985/1986), American former MLB executive and former investment banker Brandon Topham (born 1971), South African politician and businessman Brandon Truaxe (1978–2019), Iranian-Canadian computer scientist and entrepreneur Brandon Wade (born 1970), American businessman
Crime Brandon Bernard (1980–2020), American criminal executed for murder Brandon Hedrick (1979–2006), American executed for murder and rape Brandon Mendoza (1982-2014), American police officer whom a drunk driver killed Brandon Pettit (born 1987), American convicted murderer Brandon Russell (born 1995), Bahamian and American Neo-Nazi leader Brandon Teena (1972-1993), American murder victim Brandon Tholmer (born 1949), American serial killer and rapist
Entertainment Brandon, American Latin freestyle-pop artist Brandon Ash-Mohammed, Canadian stand-up comedian Brandon Auret (born 1972), South African actor Brandon Baker (born 1985), American former actor Brandon Barash (born 1979), American actor Brandon Beal (born 1983), American singer, songwriter, and producer Brandon Beemer (born 1980), American actor Brandon Block (born 1967), British club DJ, producer, and remixer Brandon Blue Hamilton (born 1987), American record producer Brandon Bolmer (born 1986), American singer-songwriter, music producer, and visual artist Brandon Boyd (born 1976), American musician Brandon Broady (born 1986), American comedian, actor, and television host Brandon Burke, Australian actor Brandon Butler (born 1996), American actor Brandon C. Rodegeb (born 1977), American music executive, film maker, and rap artist Brandon Call (born 1976), American former television- and film actor Brandon Campbell, American music composer for film, TV, and video games Brandon Cronenberg (born 1980), Canadian director and screenwriter Brandon Cruz (born 1962), American musician, actor, editor, and consultant Brandon Curtis, American member of space rock band The Secret Machines Brandon Cutler (born 1987), American professional wrestler Brandon Darner, American record producer, songwriter, and musician Brandon Decker (born 1980), American singer-songwriter Brandon deWilde (1942–1972), American theater-, film-, and television actor Brandon DiCamillo (born 1976), American former television personality, actor, stunt performer, and filmmaker Brandon Dickerson, American writer, director, and producer Brandon Douglas (born 1968), American actor Brandon Ewing (born 1991), American live streamer, YouTuber, and speedrunner Brandon Fellows (born 1994 or 1995), English actor Brandon Fields (born 1958), American saxophonist, flutist, and clarinetist Brandon Firla, Canadian actor and comedian Brandon Flowers (born 1981), American musician, singer, songwriter, and philanthropist Brandon Flynn (born 1993), American actor Brandon Fobbs (born 1981), American actor Brandon Gatson (born 1984), American professional wrestler Brandon Green (born 1988), birth name of Maejor, American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter Brandon Hammond (born 1984), American former child actor Brandon Hardesty (born 1987), American comedic performer and actor Brandon Heath (born 1978), American contemporary Christian musician, singer, and songwriter Brandon Howard (born 1981), birth name of B Howard, American singer, record producer, and songwriter Brandon Hurst (1866–1947), English stage- and film actor Brandon J. Dirden (born 1978), American actor Brandon Jay McLaren (born 1980), Canadian actor