Brendan is an Irish masculine given name in the

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to t ...

. It is derived from the Gaelic name Breandán, which is in turn derived from the earlier

Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic ( sga, Goídelc, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ga, Sean-Ghaeilge; gd, Seann-Ghàidhlig; gv, Shenn Yernish or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive writte ...

Brénainn. The

Old Welsh Old Welsh ( cy, Hen Gymraeg) is the stage of the Welsh language from about 800 AD until the early 12th century when it developed into Middle Welsh.Koch, p. 1757. The preceding period, from the time Welsh became distinct from Common Brittonic a ...

''breenhin'' is the root of the name, meaning prince or king. The mediaeval

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

form of the name, Brendanus, has also influenced the modern English and Irish forms. Variant spellings are Brendon and Brenden. In some cases it is possible that the given name Brandon is also a variant of Brendan. A variant spelling of the Irish ''Breandán'' is Breanndán.

Etymology

The English Brendan is an

Anglicised Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

form of the Irish ''Breandán'', in turn derived from the

''Brénainn''. This Old Irish

personal name A personal name, or full name, in onomastic terminology also known as prosoponym (from Ancient Greek πρόσωπον / ''prósōpon'' - person, and ὄνομα / ''onoma'' - name), is the set of names by which an individual person is know ...

(pronounced r'ēn-in' is derived from a borrowing of the

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has ...

word ''breenhín'', meaning "a prince". Both the English form and the modern Irish form, ''Breandán'', are based upon the mediaeval

form ''Brendanus''. According to one old Irish text there are 17 saints with the name. When used in an Irish sentence it can take the form Bhreandán e.g. ''A Bhreandán'' or ''..do Bhreandán''. Variations of the Irish ''Breandán'' are ''Breanndán'', ''Bhreandán'' and ''Bhreandáin''. There is no etymological link between ''Brendan'' and '' Brenda''. This feminine given name, pronounced , is thought to be derived from the

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

element ''brand'', meaning "(flaming) sword". In most cases, the masculine given name Brandon, pronounced , which cited: is considered to be derived from the surname Brandon, which is in turn derived from two Old English elements.

Variants, cognates

*English – Brandon (in some cases), Brendon *Irish – ''Breandán'', ''Breanndán'' *Latin – ''Brendanus'' *Old Irish – ''Brénainn''

Popularity and use

In some cases, the masculine given name

Brennan Brennan may refer to: People * Brennan (surname) * Brennan (given name) * Bishop Brennan (disambiguation) Places * Brennan, Idlib, a village located in Sinjar Nahiyah in Maarrat al-Nu'man District, Idlib, Syria * Rabeeah Brennan, a village located ...

may be used as a contracted form of Brendan, although it is etymologically unrelated. It is derived from the surname

, an Anglicised form of the Irish ''Ó Braonáin''. The popularity of (forms of) Brendan in Gaelic-speaking countries is thought to have influenced the use and popularity of the etymologically unrelated feminine name Brenda. In 2008, the name was not in the top 100 given names for babies in the United States. However, it ranked within the top 100 given names for babies in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...

with 2.60 occurrences per 1,000. During the decades spanning 1900–1940 the name wasn't among the top 1,000 given names recorded for babies in the United States. However, in the 1950s it ranked ''679''; in the 1960s ''448''; in the 1970s ''293''; in the 1980s ''190''; and in the 1990s ''133''. In recent years in the United States, the name has fallen in the ranking of names for babies. In 2000 it ranked ''101''; in 2001 ''115''; in 2002 ''124''; in 2003 ''141''; in 2004 ''149''; in 2005 ''175''; in 2006 ''185''; in 2007 ''205''; and in 2008 ''207''.

People named Brendan

* Saint Brendan of Clonfert (c. 484 - c. 577), Irish monastic saint * Saint Brendan of Birr (died 573), Abbot of Birr in Co. Offaly, contemporaneous with the above * Brendan Allen (born 1995), American mixed martial artist * Brendan Behan (1923–1964), Irish writer *

Brendan Benson Brendan Benson (born November 14, 1970) is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He plays guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, and drums. He has released eight solo albums and is a member of the band The Raconteurs. Recording career ''One Miss ...

(born 1970), Detroit-area musician * Brendan Bracken (1901-1958), a British cabinet member * Brendan Byrne (1924–2018), American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey * Brendan Cowell (born 1976), Australian actor and screenwriter * Brendan Coyle (born 1963), British actor * Brendan Donnelly (born 1971), baseball player * Brendan Evans (born 1986), American tennis player *

Brendan Eich Brendan Eich (; born July 4, 1961) is an American computer programmer and technology executive. He created the JavaScript programming language and co-founded the Mozilla project, the Mozilla Foundation, and the Mozilla Corporation. He served ...

(born 1961), American creator of the JavaScript programming language and co-founder of Mozilla * Brendan Fevola (born 1981), Australian footballer *

Brendan Fraser Brendan James Fraser ( ; born December 3, 1968) is an American-Canadian actor known for his leading roles in blockbusters, comedies, and dramatic films. Having graduated from the Cornish College of the Arts in 1990, he made his film debut in '' ...

(born 1968), Canadian-American actor *

Brendan Foster Sir Brendan Foster (born 12 January 1948) is a British former long-distance runner, athletics commentator and road race organiser, who founded the Great North Run, one of the sport's most high profile half-marathon races. As an athlete, he wo ...

(born 1948), British long distance runner * Brendan Gallagher (b. 1992), Canadian hockey player *

Brendan Garard Brendan James Garard (born 6 December 1971 in Brisbane, Queensland) is a former field hockey player from Australia, who was a member of the Men's National Hockey Team that won the bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta At ...

(born 1971), Australian hockey player * Brendan Gleeson (born 1955), Irish actor *

Brendan Grace Brendan Grace (1 April 1951 – 11 July 2019) was an Irish comedian and singer. He was best known for his comedy schoolboy character 'Bottler', the 1995 film ''Moondance'', and his 1996 appearance in the Irish TV sitcom ''Father Ted'' as Father ...

(1951–2019), Irish comedian and singer * Brendan Greene (born 1976), Irish video game developer * Brendan Hansen (born 1981), American swimmer *

Brendan Harris Brendan Michael Harris (born August 26, 1980) is an American retired professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Minnesota T ...

(born 1980), American baseball player * Brendan Haywood (born 1979), American basketball player * Brendan Hines (born 1976), American actor and musician * Brendan Horgan, American businessman * Brendan Howlin (born 1956), Irish Labour Party politician *

Brendan Lane (basketball) Brendan Gerald Lane (born November 19, 1990) is an American retired professional basketball player who last played for Alvark Tokyo of the B.League The B.League is a professional men's basketball league that began in Japan in September 2016. Th ...

(born 1990), American basketball player * Brendan Langley (born 1994), American football player * Brendan Leipsic (born 1994), Canadian hockey player * Angus Brendan MacNeil (born 1970) Scottish politician, MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar * Brendan Mahon (born 1995), American football player * Brendan Malone (b. 1942), American basketball coach * Brendan Murray (born 1996), Irish singer * Brendan Murray (born 1995), American record producer known as Bighead *

Brendan Morrison Brendan Morrison (born August 15, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He has previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Washington ...

(born 1975), Canadian hockey player * Brendan Nelson (born 1958), Australian politician *

Brendan O'Neill (disambiguation) Brendan O'Neill may refer to: * Brendan O'Neill (businessman) (born 1948), British business executive *Brendan O'Neill (columnist), British columnist * Brendan O'Neill (musician) (born 1951, Belfast), Irish musician, drummer of the late Rory Gallag ...

, several people * Brendan Rodgers (born 1973), football manager * Brendan Ryan (disambiguation), several people * Brendan Shanahan (born 1969), hockey player * Brendan Simbwaye (1934–1972?), Namibian anti-apartheid activist who disappeared in 1972 * Brendon Small (born 1975), American writer, creator of the TV shows ''Home Movies'' and ''Metalocalypse'' *

Brendan Smith (disambiguation) Brendan Smith may refer to: *Brendan Smith (politician) (born 1956), Irish Fianna Fáil politician, TD and government minister *Brendan Powell Smith (born 1973), American artist and author *Brendan Smith (cricketer) (born 1985), English cricketer * ...

, ''several people'' * Brendan Smyth (1927–1997), Irish Roman Catholic priest. * Brendan Walsh (born 1959), American chef * Brendon Walsh (born 1978), American stand-up comedian *

Brendan White Brendan White (born 16 April 1992), is an Australian professional association football, soccer player who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Heidelberg United FC, Heidelberg United. Club career Brisbane Roar Brendan W ...

(born 1992), Australian association football player * Brendan Whitecross (born 1990), Australian footballer

Fictional characters named Brendan

*Brendan Frye, lead character in the movie '' Brick'' *Brendan Jones, from Australian television program A Country Practice * Brendan (Pokémon), the main male character of ''Pokémon Ruby'', ''Sapphire'', ''Emerald'', ''Omega Ruby'' and ''Alpha Sapphire'' * Brendan Brady, from Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' *Brendan, supporting character in the film ''

The Darjeeling Limited ''The Darjeeling Limited'' is a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson, which he co-produced with Scott Rudin, Roman Coppola, and Lydia Dean Pilcher, and co-wrote with Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman. The film stars Owe ...

'' *Brendan Richards, from the short-lived ''Doctor Who'' spinoff K-9 and Company *Brendan, the main character of the animated fantasy movie '' The Secret of Kells'' *Brendan Conlon, one of the lead characters in the 2011 movie ''Warrior'', played by Joel Edgerton

People named Breandán

* Breandán Breathnach (1912–1985), Irish music collector and Uilleann piper * Breandán de Gallaí (born 1969), Irish professional dancer * Breandán Ó hEithir (1930–1990), Irish writer and broadcaster * Breandán Ó Madagain (1932–2020), Irish scholar, writer and celticist

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brendan English-language masculine given names Irish masculine given names ja:ブレンダン pt:Brendan