Brandy is a

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

sometimes given in reference to the

alcoholic beverage Drinks containing alcohol (drug), alcohol are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and Distilled beverage, spirits—with alcohol content typically between 3% and 50%. Drinks with less than 0.5% are sometimes considered Non-al ...

or used as a feminine form of Brandon. Related surnames with the same meaning are the Italian

Brandi Brandi is both a surname and a given name. Surname * Alan Brandi (born 1987), Argentine futsal player * Albrecht Brandi (1914–1966), German World War II U-boat commander * Cesare Brandi (1906–1988), Italian art historian * Ernst Brandi (1875– ...

and Brando. Usage of the name as a first name for boys has likely been a transferred use of the surname. Census records show that Brandy was in use as a masculine name in the United States, primarily for Black men, in the mid 19th century. Brandy was occasionally used as a

hypocorism A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek ; sometimes also ''hypocoristic''), or pet name, is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for Isabel or ''Bob (given name), Bob'' fo ...

for women and girls for various names such as Brandina,

Brenda Brenda is a feminine given name in the English language. Origin The overall accepted origin for the female name Brenda is the Old Nordic male name ''Brandr'' meaning both ''torch'' and ''sword'': evidently the male name Brandr took root in areas ...

, or Maranda, but was not widely used as a formal name for girls until the 1940s. Usage for girls might have been inspired by usage of the name

Sherry Sherry ( ) is a fortified wine produced from white grapes grown around the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain. Sherry is a drink produced in a variety of styles made primarily from the Palomino grape, ranging from light versio ...

, also the name of an alcoholic beverage, for girls in the 1940s. Further usage was inspired by use of the name for film characters: the attractive con woman character Brandy Kirby played by

Lizabeth Scott Lizabeth Virginia Scott (born Emma Virginia Matzo; September 29, 1921 – January 31, 2015) was an American actress, singer, and model for the Walter Thornton Model Agency, known for her "smoky voice" and being "the most beautiful face of film n ...

in the 1951 film '' Two of a Kind'', the saloon girl Brandy played by

Mari Blanchard Mari Blanchard (born Mary E. Blanchard, April 13, 1923 – May 10, 1970) was an American film and television actress, known foremost for her roles as a B movie'' femme fatale'' in American productions of the 1950s and early 1960s. Early life a ...

in the 1954 western Destry, and Brandy de la Court, played by

Michele Girardon Michele () is an Italian male given name, akin to the English male name Michael (given name), Michael. Michele (usually pronounced ), is also an English female given name that is derived from the French Michèle. It is a variant spelling of the ...

in the 1962 film ''

Hatari! ''Hatari!'' (, Swahili for "Danger!") is a 1962 American adventure romantic comedy film starring John Wayne as the leader of a group of professional game catchers in Africa.McCarthy, Todd. ''Howard Hawks: the grey fox of Hollywood'', New York, ...

'' Spelling variant

first appeared among the 1,000 most popular names for American girls in 1966. Brandy also appeared among the top 1,000 names in 1967. The name came into greater use in the

Anglosphere The Anglosphere, also known as the Anglo-American world, is a Western-led sphere of influence among the Anglophone countries. The core group of this sphere of influence comprises five developed countries that maintain close social, cultura ...

following the release of the hit 1972 song "

Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" is a 1972 song by American pop rock band Looking Glass from their debut album, '' Looking Glass''. It was written by Looking Glass lead guitarist and co-vocalist Elliot Lurie. The single reached No. 1 on both the ...

" by

Looking Glass A mirror, also known as a looking glass, is an object that Reflection (physics), reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror forms an image of whatever is in front of it, which is then focused through the lens of the eye or a camera ...

. The name peaked in 1978 in the United States when it was the 37th most popular name for American girls. It has since declined in popularity. Spelling variants include Brandee, Brandi,

Brandie Brandie or Brandee is a given name. Notable persons with that name include: * Brandie Burton (born 1972), American golfer * Brandie Coleman (born 1985), American murder victim * Brandie Jay (born 1993), American artistic gymnast * Brandie O'Connor ...

, and Brandye.

Women named Brandy

* Brandy Burre (born 1974), American actress *

Brandy Clark Brandy Lynn Clark (born October 9, 1975) is an American country music singer-songwriter. Her songs have been recorded by Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert, The Band Perry, Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, Billy Currington, Darius Rucker, and Kacey Mu ...

(born 1975), American country music singer-songwriter * Brandy Colbert, American author of young adult fiction and nonfiction. * Brandy Erholtz (née Griffith, born 1977), American former mountain runner * Brandy Fluker Oakley (born 1983), American politician *

Brandy Johnson Brandy K. Johnson-Scharpf (born April 30, 1973, in Tallahassee, Florida) is a retired American gymnast, gymnastics judge, stuntwoman and gymnastics coach. She owns Brandy Johnson's Global Gymnastics in Clermont, Florida. A member of Brown's Gym ...

(born 1973), American gymnast and stuntwoman *

Brandy Ledford Brandy Lee Ledford (born February 4, 1969) is an American actress, model and '' Penthouse'' magazine's 1992 "Pet of the Year". She played the role of Desiree on '' Modern Family,'' starred as Dawn Masterton on '' Baywatch Hawaii'', and as Doyl ...

(born 1969), American actress and model * Brandy R. McMillion (born 1979), American judge and lawyer *

Brandy Norwood Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, model and actress. Born into a musical family in McComb, Mississippi, Norwood was raised in Carson, California, beginning her career as a backing vocalist ...

(born 1979), American singer and actress also mononymously known as Brandy *

Brandy Payne Brandy Payne (born 1978) is a Canadian politician elected in the 2015 Alberta general election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Calgary-Acadia. On February 2, 2016, Payne was appointed Associate Minis ...

(born 1978), Canadian politician *

Brandy Pyle Brandy L. Pyle (born September 11, 1980) is an American politician who has served in the North Dakota House of Representatives from the 22nd district since 2016. Education and Career Pyle graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelo ...

(born 1980), American politician *

Brandy Reed Brandy Carmina Reed (born February 17, 1977) is an American retired professional women's basketball player. Reed grew up and graduated from Balboa High School in San Francisco, California in 1994. After graduating from The University of Southe ...

(born 1977), American retired professional women's basketball player. * Brandy Saturley (born 1972), Canadian visual artist * Brandy Zadrozny (born 1980), American investigative journalist and reporter

Women nicknamed Brandy

Oracene Price Oracene Price (born April 3, 1952) is an American tennis coach. She is best known for being both the mother and coach of Venus and Serena Williams, both of whom are widely regarded as among the best tennis players of all time. She is the former w ...

(born 1952), American tennis coach and mother of Venus and Serena Williams

Men named Brandy

* Brandy Peter (born 1991), Papua New Guinean professional rugby league footballer

Men nicknamed Brandy

Greg Alexander Gregory Peter Stephen Alexander (born 4 March 1965), also known by the nickname "Brandy", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, who has since become a radio, television commentator and ...

(born 1965), Australian rugby league player *

Jim Brandstatter Jim Brandstatter (born ) is an American former sportscaster. He served as a radio announcer for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1979 to 2021, and for the Detroit Lions from 1987 to 2017. Brandstatter is also a sports television show h ...

(born 1949/1950), American football player and broadcaster * Robert Brandon Brandy Davis (1927–2005), American professional baseball player, manager, coach and longtime scout * Thomas Brandy Semchuk (born 1971), Canadian former professional ice hockey player * Branimir Ivan Sikic (born 1947), Austrian-born American medical doctor specializing in oncology and cancer pharmacology

Fictional characters

* Brandy Alexander, a major character in the 1999 novel '' Invisible Monsters'' by Chuck Palahniuk * Brandy Harrington, a title character of the animated television series '' Brandy & Mr. Whiskers'' * Brandy, the sister of Chilli Heeler from the television series '' Bluey''

References