Brennan
Brennan is a boys' name of Celtic origin meaning “sorrow, drop of water.” It ranked #995 in the United States in 2025. An Irish surname turned given name, from the Gaelic 'Braonán' meaning sorrow or moisture/teardrop.
how do you pronounce Brennan?
BREN-un
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Brennan mean?
The name Brennan means “sorrow, drop of water.” It comes from the Celtic language tradition.
An Irish surname turned given name, from the Gaelic 'Braonán' meaning sorrow or moisture/teardrop. Despite the melancholic meaning, the name has a strong, warm sound. The Brennans were a powerful medieval Irish clan. It works beautifully as both surname and first name.
where does the name Brennan come from?
Wiktionary and Wikipedia agree Brennan is anglicized from the Gaelic descendant-name built on Braonán, though the two sources gloss the root braon differently — Wiktionary gives moisture or drop, Wikipedia gives sorrow. Both also record an alternative derivation from Branán, a diminutive of bran, meaning raven, and Wikipedia adds that Brennan is sometimes a contracted form of Brendan and, while mainly masculine, can occasionally be used as a feminine name.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2022 | #995 |
| 2021 | #872 |
| 2020 | #764 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
who are famous people named Brennan?
- Brennan Lee Mulligan (comedian and Dimension 20 host)
- The Brennan family (powerful Irish clan)
what names are similar to Brennan?
what names go well with Brennan?
Sibling names that share Brennan's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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