Brandon (given name)

Brandon

A hill covered in gorse.
Pronunciation /ˈbrændən/ BRAN-dən
Gender Male (and occasionally Female)
Language(s) Old English
Origin
Meaning Broom, Gorse + Hill
Region of origin England
Other names
Variant form(s) Brandan; Branden; Brandyn; Brendon
Derived brōm + dūn
Related names Brando (surname); Brandon (surname); Brandi; Brandie; Brandy; Brendan

The name originates from the English surname Brandon. This surname can be derived from any of the numerous placenames in England so-named which are composed of two elements derived from the Old English language. The first element means "broom", "gorse"; and the second means "hill". There are several variant spellings of the given name Brandon; there is also probably, a feminine variant of the name. Brandon is considered to be a masculine name; however, in the United States during the 1980s, the name cracked the top 1,000th names recorded for female births; the name has since then fallen out of the top 1,000 female baby names.

Origin of the name

The given name Brandon originates from the English surname Brandon.[1] This surname is a habitational name, derived from any of the numerous places in England called Brandon. Such places can include: Brandon, County Durham; Brandon, Northumbria; Brandon, Suffolk; Brandon, Warwickshire; and other locations.[2] For the most part, the names of these places are derived from two Old English language elements: brōm, meaning "broom", "gorse"; and dūn, meaning "hill".[3] However, one location, Brandon in Lincolnshire, may be connected to the River Brant, which runs close by.[2] This river's name is derived from two Old English elements: brant, meaning "steep", "deep"; and dūn, meaning "hill".[4] The name of this location is probably in reference to the river's steep banks.[2]

In some cases, it is also possible that the given name Brandon is a variant form of the Irish given name Brendan.[1] This name is an Anglicised form of the old Gaelic language name, Bréanainn, which in turn is derived from a Celtic language element meaning "prince".[5] It is also possible that the given name Brandon has been influenced from the surname of the American actor Marlon Brando (1924–2004).[1] This surname is derived from the Lombardic language personal name Brando. This personal name was a short form of several personal names composed with the Germanic language element brand, meaning "sword".[6]

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.[7]

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the name has risen in popularity since the mid-1990s.[3]

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 on brandon or meaning son of Brandon, with 1,011 occurrences recorded.[8] It had fallen in rank, slightly from the previous year when it was ranked 66th most common, with 1161 occurrences.[9] The name has dramatically fallen in popularity since 1998, when it was ranked 36th, with 2142 occurrences recorded.[10]

Rank and numbers of English and Welsh baby births
Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007[9] 2008[8]
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.[11] It did not crack the top 100 male, or the top 100 female, names registered in the two previous years either.[12][13] In 2002 the name was ranked 84 most common male baby name, falling drastically from 30th ranked name the year before.[14]

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.[12][13]

Year 1999[15] 2000[15] 2001[16] 2002[14] 2003[17] 2004[18] 2005[19] 2006[20] 2007[12] 2008[13]
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[21] 1950[22] 1975[23] 1997[24] 1998[25] 1999[26] 2000[27] 2001[28] 2002[29] 2003[30] 2004[30] 2005[31] 2006[32] 2007[33] 2008[34] 2009[35]
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

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).[36]

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[37] 2000[38] 2001[39] 2002[40] 2003[41] 2004[42] 2005[43] 2006[44]
Rank >50 >50 >50 >50 62 63 67 70
Percent 0.18 0.17 0.16 0.14

Ireland

Rank of male Irish baby births, and rank of male Irish names[45]
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.[46] In the years spanning 2002 to 2009, the name was not amongst the top 100 male, or female, baby names.[47]

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.[48] The previous year the name ranked 159th, with 73 recorded occurrences.[49]

United States

The name is, for the most part, found in the 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.[1] The name was ranked in the 1990 United States Census as being the 68th most common name amongst males.[50]

The Social Security Administration website lists the top 1,000 American baby names for every year since 1879. In the year 1950, Brandon first cracked 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.[51]

Brandon is considered to be a masculine name; however, in the United States it has also been used as a feminine name. In 1981, it cracked 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.[51]

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.[52]

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.[51] 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

Spelling variations

Spelling variations of Brandon include: Brandan, Branden, Brandyn,[3] and Branton. The given name Branton is, for the most part, an American given name. It can be a variant form of Brandon, or derived from the English surname Branton. The surname Branton is derived from places so-called in South Yorkshire (formerly West Yorkshire), and Branton, Northumberland; or from Braunton, Devon.[53] The locations in South Yorkshire and Devon are derived from the Old English elements: brōm; and tūn, meaning "farmstead", "settlement".[53][54] The placename in Northumberland is derived from the Old English elements: *brēmen, meaning "overgrown with broom"; and tūn.[55]

Feminine forms

It has been stated that the feminine given name Brandy is derived from a word referring to a liquor called "brandy wine", or "brandewine". These English words are derived from the Dutch language brandewijn,[56] meaning "burnt wine", in reference to a distilled wine.[57] However, the name Brandy is now considered to be more likely a feminine form of Brandon. Variant forms of Brandy include: Brandie, and Brandi.[56]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Learn about the family history of your surname, Ancestry.com, retrieved 25 April 2010. The webpage cited the following book for the given name "Brandon": A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-280050-7.
  2. 1 2 3 Learn about the family history of your surname, Ancestry.com, retrieved 10 May 2010. The webpage cited the following book for the surname "Brandon": Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508137-4.
  3. 1 2 3 Brandon, Encyclopedia.com, retrieved 10 May 2010. The webpage cited the following book for the given name "Brandon": Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press.
  4. ↑ Brandon, Encyclopedia.com, retrieved 10 May 2010. The webpage cited the following book for the placename "Brandon": Mills, A.D. (2003). A Dictionary of British Place-Names. Oxford University Press.
  5. ↑ Breandán, Encyclopedia.com, retrieved 10 May 2010. The webpage cited the following book for the given name "Breandán": Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press.
  6. ↑ Learn about the family history of your surname, Ancestry.com, retrieved 10 May 2010. The webpage cited the following book for the surname "Brando": Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508137-4.
  7. ↑ Popular Baby Names, www.bdm.nsw.gov.au, retrieved 11 May 2010
  8. 1 2 2008 Boys' Baby Names List (xls), National Statistics Online, retrieved 11 May 2010
  9. 1 2 2007 Boys' Baby Names (xls), National Statistics Online, retrieved 11 May 2010
  10. ↑ 1998 Boys' Baby Names (xls), National Statistics Online, retrieved 11 May 2010
  11. ↑ popular first names in 2009 (pdf), General Register Office (Northern Ireland), retrieved 11 May 2010
  12. 1 2 3 First Names Bulletin 2007 (pdf), Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, retrieved 22 May 2010
  13. 1 2 3 First Names Bulletin 2008 (pdf), Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, retrieved 22 May 2010
  14. 1 2 First Names Bulletin 2002 (doc), Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, retrieved 22 May 2010
  15. 1 2 First Names Bulletin 2000 (doc), Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, retrieved 22 May 2010
  16. ↑ First Names Bulletin 2001 (pdf), Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, retrieved 22 May 2010
  17. ↑ First Names Bulletin 2003 (doc), Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, retrieved 22 May 2010
  18. ↑ First Names Bulletin 2004 (pdf), Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, retrieved 22 May 2010
  19. ↑ First Names Bulletin 2005 (pdf), Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, retrieved 22 May 2010
  20. ↑ First Names Bulletin 2006 (pdf), Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, retrieved 22 May 2010
  21. ↑ Popular Names, General Register Office for Scotland, retrieved 23 May 2010. See specifically: The top 100 names: 1900 (pdf), General Register Office for Scotland, 22 December 2009, retrieved 23 May 2010
  22. ↑ Popular Names, General Register Office for Scotland, retrieved 23 May 2010. See specifically: The top 100 names: 1950 (pdf), General Register Office for Scotland, 22 December 2009, retrieved 23 May 2010
  23. ↑ Popular Names, General Register Office for Scotland, retrieved 23 May 2010. See specifically: The top 100 names: 1975 (pdf), General Register Office for Scotland, 22 December 2009, retrieved 23 May 2010
  24. ↑ Popular Names, General Register Office for Scotland, retrieved 23 May 2010. See specifically: The most popular names in Scotland, 1998, General Register Office for Scotland, retrieved 23 May 2010
  25. ↑ Popular Names, General Register Office for Scotland, retrieved 23 May 2010. See specifically: The most popular names in Scotland, 1999, General Register Office for Scotland, retrieved 23 May 2010
  26. ↑ Popular Names, General Register Office for Scotland, retrieved 23 May 2010. See specifically: Top 100 Boys' names, Scotland, 2000 (provisional), - together with changes since 1999 (pdf), General Register Office for Scotland, 22 December 2009, retrieved 23 May 2010
  27. ↑ Popular Names, General Register Office for Scotland, retrieved 23 May 2010. See specifically: Top 100 boys' names, Scotland, 2001, together with changes since 2000 (pdf), General Register Office for Scotland, retrieved 23 May 2010
  28. ↑ Popular Names, General Register Office for Scotland, retrieved 23 May 2010. See specifically: The most popular names in Scotland, 2002 (pdf), General Register Office for Scotland, 22 December 2009, retrieved 23 May 2010
  29. ↑ Popular Names, General Register Office for Scotland, retrieved 23 May 2010. See specifically: The most popular names in Scotland, 2003 (pdf), General Register Office for Scotland, 22 December 2009, retrieved 23 May 2010
  30. 1 2 Popular Names, General Register Office for Scotland, retrieved 23 May 2010. See specifically: The most popular names in Scotland, 2004 (pdf), General Register Office for Scotland, 22 December 2009, retrieved 23 May 2010
  31. ↑ Popular Names, General Register Office for Scotland, retrieved 23 May 2010. See specifically: Table 1-Top 100 boys' and girls' names, Scotland, 2005, showing changes since 2004 (pdf), General Register Office for Scotland, 22 December 2009, retrieved 23 May 2010
  32. ↑ The Most Popular Names in Scotland, 2006; Top 20 Boys' and Girls' Names 2006 and Detailed Tables, General Register Office for Scotland, retrieved 23 May 2010. See also: Table 2 - Top 100 boys' and girls' names, Scotland, 2006, showing changes since 2005 (Alphabetical) (pdf), General Register Office for Scotland, 22 December 2009, retrieved 23 May 2010
  33. ↑ The Most Popular Names in Scotland, 2007 Detailed Tables, General Register Office for Scotland, retrieved 23 May 2010. See also: Table 1 - Top 100 boys' and girls' names, Scotland, 2007, showing changes since 2006 (pdf), General Register Office for Scotland, 22 December 2009, retrieved 23 May 2010
  34. ↑ Popular Forenames – Babies' First Names 2008: List of Detailed Tables, General Register Office for Scotland, retrieved 23 May 2010. See also: Table 1 - Top 100 boys' and girls' names, Scotland, 2008, showing changes since 2007 (pdf), General Register Office for Scotland, 22 December 2009, retrieved 23 May 2010
  35. ↑ Babies' First Names 2009: List of Detailed Tables, General Register Office for Scotland, retrieved 23 May 2010. See also: Table 1 - Top 100 boys' and girls' names, Scotland, 2009, showing changes since 2008 (pdf), General Register Office for Scotland, 22 December 2009, retrieved 23 May 2010
  36. ↑ Baby's Most Chosen Names in British Columbia, 2007, www.vs.gov.bc.ca, retrieved 11 May 2010
  37. ↑ Nombres más Comunes 1999 (in Spanish), www.registrocivil.cl, retrieved 23 May 2010
  38. ↑ Nombres más Comunes 2000 (in Spanish), www.registrocivil.cl, retrieved 23 May 2010
  39. ↑ Nombres más Comunes 2001 (in Spanish), www.registrocivil.cl, retrieved 23 May 2010
  40. ↑ Nombres más Comunes 2002 (in Spanish), www.registrocivil.cl, retrieved 23 May 2010
  41. ↑ Nombres más Comunes 2003 (in Spanish), www.registrocivil.cl, retrieved 23 May 2010
  42. ↑ Nombres más Comunes 2004 (in Spanish), www.registrocivil.cl, retrieved 23 May 2010
  43. ↑ Nombres más Comunes 2005 (in Spanish), www.registrocivil.cl, retrieved 23 May 2010
  44. ↑ Nombres más Comunes 2005 (in Spanish), www.registrocivil.cl, retrieved 23 May 2010
  45. ↑ Statistical Product - Irish Babies Names, Central Statistics Office Ireland, retrieved 23 May 2010
  46. ↑ Namnsökning. Hur många heter ...? (in Swedish), Statistics Sweden, retrieved 23 May 2010
  47. ↑ Name statistics (in Swedish), Statistics Sweden, retrieved 23 May 2010. See also for individual tables: Name statistics (in Swedish), Statistics Sweden, retrieved 23 May 2010
  48. ↑ Kinderbijslag, Sociale Verzekeringsbank, retrieved 11 May 2010 See also: alle jongensnamen uit 2009 (pdf), Sociale Verzekeringsbank, retrieved 11 May 2010
  49. ↑ Kinderbijslag, Sociale Verzekeringsbank, retrieved 11 May 2010 See also: Alle jongensnamen uit 2008 (pdf), Sociale Verzekeringsbank, retrieved 11 May 2010
  50. ↑ Genealogy Data: Frequently Occurring Surnames from Census 1990 – Names Files, United States Census Bureau, retrieved 10 May 2010 See also: dist.male.first (txt), United States Census Bureau, retrieved 10 May 2010
  51. 1 2 3 Popularity of a Name, Social Security Online, retrieved 11 May 2010
  52. ↑ Popular names for twins born in 2009, Social Security Online, retrieved 10 May 2010
  53. 1 2 Branton, Encyclopedia.com, retrieved 10 May 2010. The webpage cited the following book for the given name "Branton": Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press.
  54. ↑ Brandon, Encyclopedia.com, retrieved 10 May 2010. The webpage cited the following book for the placename "Braunton": Mills, A.D. (2003). A Dictionary of British Place-Names. Oxford University Press.
  55. ↑ Brandon, Encyclopedia.com, retrieved 10 May 2010. The webpage cited the following book for the placename "Branton": Mills, A.D. (2003). A Dictionary of British Place-Names. Oxford University Press.
  56. 1 2 Brandy, Encyclopedia.com, retrieved 10 May 2010. The webpage cited the following book for the given name "Brandy": Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press.
  57. ↑ Brandy, Online Etymology Dictionary, retrieved 22 May 2010 See also: Brandy, Dictionary.com, retrieved 22 May 2010
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