Brenda

Where Brenda comes from

Possibly from Old Norse brandr (“sword”); by folk etymology seen as a feminine form of Brendan. Its use as a nickname for Queen Elizabeth II originated in Private Eye in reaction to a perceived attempt by the royals to appear less distant and upper class.
— Wiktionary's entry for Brenda
  • 2 syllables
  • Vowel-ended
Along the way
  1. 1897
    First appearance
    #1,263 among girls, 7 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  2. 1945
    Brenda Fricker born
    Irish actress
  3. 1961
    Peak, #11
    23,781 babies named Brenda — more than any year before or since.
  4. 1967
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #31.
  5. 1988
    Brenda Song born
    American actress and model
In the dictionary
  • A female given name.
Namesakes
  • Brenda Song · American actress and model, born 1988
  • Brenda Fricker · Irish actress, 1945–2026
  • Brenda Blethyn · British actress, born 1946
  • Brenda Vaccaro · American actress, born 1939
  • Brenda Lee · American singer and recording artist, born 1944

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.