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Girl · Old Norse or Irish
Brenda Say it: BREN-duh
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Meaning Uncertain. Possibly a feminine from Old Norse brandr 'sword' in Shetland, or from Irish Bréanainn (Brendan).
Uncertain several explanations, none settled.
Spread after Walter Scott used it in The Pirate (1822); very popular in the US from the 1940s to the 1960s.
Its wave through time A fashion of the 1950s
In the United States 0 5 10 15 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020 Peak 1950 per 1,000 babies of that sex 609,651 babies given this name since 1897 At its height in 1950, about 1 in 82 girls 177 babies in 2020 Famous bearers Brenda Lee, American singer Names worth a look Frances Girl Feminine of Francis, from Latin Franciscus 'Frenchman'. Renaissance · peak 1911 Pamela Girl Coined by Philip Sidney for his Arcadia; often explained as Greek pan 'all' and meli 'honey', but that is a guess. Revolutions · peak 1954 Willie Girl or boy For boys a pet form of William, for girls of Wilhelmina; both from Germanic wil 'will, desire' and helm 'helmet,… Victorian · peak 1910 Evelyn Girl From an English surname derived from the Norman given name Aveline, from a Germanic element (avi or avila) of… Revolutions · peak 1907 Nicole Girl French feminine of Nicolas, from Greek nikē 'victory' + laos 'people'. Modern · peak 1983 Samantha Girl Probably an 18th-century American coinage combining Samuel with the ending -antha. The claim that it means… Revolutions · peak 1991 Brian Boy Uncertain; often linked to Celtic brig- 'high, noble', but the etymology is not settled. Early Medieval · peak 1973 Brandon Boy From an English surname from place names, Old English brōm 'broom (gorse)' + dūn 'hill'. It is not a form of Irish… Modern · peak 1985 Where this comes from Well-known works of literature United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.