Brenda is a name of English origin, derived from the Old Norse name Brjannr, which means "sword" or "torch". It was originally a male name, but it has been used as a female name since the late Middle Ages.
The name Brenda gained popularity in the United States and other English-speaking countries during the mid-20th century. It peaked in popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, with thousands of baby girls being named Brenda each year. Today, it is still a popular choice for parents looking for a classic yet distinctive name for their daughter.
Some notable people with the name Brenda include Brenda Holloway, an American soul singer who gained popularity in the 1960s, and Brenda Walsh, the main character in the television series Beverly Hills, 90210.
The name Brenda experienced a significant surge in popularity during the late 1940s and early 1950s, reaching its peak in 1957 with an impressive total of 24,337 births that year. However, it began to decline steadily thereafter, dropping below 10,000 births per year by the mid-1960s. In recent years, Brenda has become quite rare as a newborn name, with fewer than 300 babies being named Brenda annually since 2016. Overall, there have been a total of 608,103 births registered for the name Brenda from 1897 to 2023.