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Brave
OriginEnglish word name
Meaning"showing courage"
GenderBoy & girl
US Rank
Girls#10238
Boys#3191
20% girls · 80% boys
About Brave
A striking word name for either gender. It's a safer choice when used as a middle name. Sixteen baby girls were named Brave in the US last year, the same number as were named Breezy.
Brave for boys#3191 US
Not for the faint of the baby-naming heart, Brave has begun to gather more attention in the 2020s, fitting in with a tendency towards wilder word names. Given to 37 boys in a recent year, it would also make an unexpected but cool middle name option.
Pronounced BRAYV.
As of October 2026, Brave ranked #10238 for girls and #3191 for boys in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #5188 for girls in 2022 and #2505 for boys in 2021.
Popularity & trends
US popularity — history
US rank, lower is more popular · SSA data 2014–2025
Actual · SSA
20142025
18802025
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #4,897 | 19 | 9.9 |
| 2015 | #4,565 | 21 | 11 |
| 2016 | #3,600 | 30 | 15.8 |
| 2017 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | #3,381 | 33 | 18.2 |
| 2019 | #2,945 | 41 | 22.9 |
| 2020 | #2,511 | 51 | 29.5 |
| 2021 | #2,505 | 53 | 30.3 |
| 2022 | #2,521 | 54 | 30.9 |
| 2023 | #2,511 | 53 | 31 |
| 2024 | #3,329 | 35 | 20.3 |
| 2025 | #3,191 | 37 | 21.7 |
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