Brave
Boy name · #3232 in 2025 · Very rare
How old is the name Brave? In official American birth records, Brave has been tracked continuously since 2008, giving it 17 years of documented American history.
Brave is currently the #3232 boy name in the United States — 37 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #4407, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 48,649 boys born in 2025 was named Brave.
Babies named Brave per year. Source: Official national birth records.
The 17-year story
Brave first appears in the Social Security records in 2008, when 9 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2022, with 54 babies and a rank of #2517. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Brave against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Brave in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Brave is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Brave will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Brave is most common
State-level data for Brave is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Brave
Statistically, parents drawn to Brave tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Wolfe, Kree, Peace, Broly, and Breeze.
WolfeKreePeaceBrolyBreezeZaydeCreeBrix
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Brave | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 37 | #3181 |
| 2024 | 36 | #3272 |
| 2023 | 53 | #2510 |
| 2022 | 54 | #2517 |
| 2021 | 53 | #2499 |
| 2020 | 51 | #2505 |
| 2019 | 41 | #2943 |
| 2018 | 33 | #3373 |
| 2017 | 18 | #5111 |
| 2016 | 30 | #3596 |
| 2015 | 22 | #4407 |
| 2014 | 19 | #4866 |
| 2013 | 15 | #5659 |
| 2012 | 17 | #5256 |
| 2011 | 5 | #12287 |
| 2010 | 7 | #9693 |
| 2009 | 8 | #8985 |
| 2008 | 9 | #8324 |
Frequently asked questions
How old is the name Brave?
In official American birth records, the name Brave first appeared in 2008 (over 17 years ago), when 9 newborn boys received the name. It has been tracked in modern national records for 17 years.
Is Brave a popular boy name?
Brave ranked #3232 among boys in 2025 with 37 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #4407.
When was the name Brave most popular?
Brave peaked in 2022, when 54 American boys received the name (ranked #2517 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Brave?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 48,649 newborn American boys was named Brave. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: Official American birth records, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect registered birth records for American families.