Brendan means prince or brave — from the Irish Gaelic. Saint Brendan the Navigator sailed the Atlantic 1,000 years before Columbus — the Voyage of Saint Brendan IS one of the greatest adventure stories. Brendan Fraser IS the Mummy AND the Whale. Two syllables of sailed-Atlantic-before-Columbus, Fraser-Mummy-AND-Whale, and the Irish prince.
Irish Gaelic (prince/brave)→Saint Brendan the Navigator
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English / Gaelic roots
Brendan means prince. Saint Brendan sailed the Atlantic before Columbus. Fraser IS the Mummy AND the Whale.
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First recorded
Earliest known use: Irish; Saint Brendan (c. 484–577 AD).
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Today
Brendan remains a beloved choice, ranking #682 in the US. 91,937 babies have been named Brendan since 1912.
◈ Sources: Behind the Name, Oxford Dictionary of First Names, SSA data
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How popular is Brendan?
1999peak year
The name Brendan reached its peak in 1999, with 3,994 registrations (ranked #96). It had been quietly building for over half a century before that, first appearing in records in 1912. Since the peak, the name has eased to around #682 today, averaging about 441 new babies per year. Brendan has been declining in recent years. Across all years on record, approximately 91,937 American babies have carried this name.
Year-by-year registrations1880–2024 · U.S. Social Security data
Brendan's Life Path 5 is the adventurer's number — Atlantic-sailing adventure. People named Brendan tend to be strong, brave, and gifted at sailing the Atlantic before everyone else.
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Sailed Atlantic before everyone
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Saint-Navigator
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Fraser-Mummy-Whale
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Irish-prince
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Brave-powerful
B2
R9
E5
N5
D4
A1
N5
Sum: 31 → Life path 4
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Personality of Brendan
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Steady & reliable
When they make a promise, they keep it.
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Methodical
Thorough, careful, precise.
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Quietly powerful
Their strength is always there when it matters.
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Grounded
No matter what swirls around them, they stay centred.
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