Brad is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Brad means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Brad across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Brad has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Brad is a boy name of Old English origin meaning “broad clearing”. a short form of Bradley.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 83,293 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,314 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 242 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 48 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 71 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 450 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Brad per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1960 (2,651/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1997 (212/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1998 (30/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1997 (13/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1997 (11/yr).
Brad has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1960, when it ranked #295 nationally (given to 2,651 babies that year).
Brody · Brady · Bret · Bird · Brodie · Byrd · Bayard · Brodey
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