Brave
- Gender
- Unisex
- Say it
- BRAYV
- Origin
- English
- US rank, 2025
- #3,180 for boys
Unisex
Brave is a name of English origin, meaning “courageous”. In 2025 it ranked 3,180th for boys in the US (37 babies).
What does Brave mean?
English: English word name
“courageous”
Is Brave a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Brave has been given to both girls and boys. In 2025, it was given to 9 girls and 37 boys in the US.
How popular is Brave in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,180among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 37about 1 in 46,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 1% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 37 boys in the US were named Brave, making it the 3,180th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,504th. Its busiest year was 2022, with 54 boys. It first appears in the records in 2008. 9 girls were also named Brave in 2025 (10,104th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Brave in the US since 1880 were born between 2016 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 20% of the babies named Brave in the US were girls.
Brave in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 37 | #3,180 |
| 2024 | 36 | #3,270 |
| 2023 | 53 | #2,509 |
| 2022 | 54 | #2,516 |
| 2021 | 53 | #2,498 |
| 2020 | 51 | #2,504 |
| 2019 | 41 | #2,941 |
| 2018 | 33 | #3,369 |
| 2017 | 18 | #5,107 |
| 2016 | 30 | #3,595 |
| 2015 | 22 | #4,405 |
| 2014 | 19 | #4,862 |
| 2013 | 15 | #5,655 |
| 2012 | 17 | #5,250 |
| 2011 | 5 | #12,280 |
| 2010 | 7 | #9,686 |
| 2009 | 8 | #8,980 |
| 2008 | 9 | #8,319 |
Names like Brave
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Ridge Finn Finnegan Deacon Brayden Bronx Case Cove Brecken Cannon Briggs Kayden
More English names
Lily Evelyn Hudson Ivy Harper Grace Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Riley Oakley Mason Cooper Ruby Hallie
Sources
Figures from Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Brave: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/brave, updated 20 October 2026.