How popular is the baby name Brando in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Brando.

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Popularity of the baby name Brando


Posts that mention the name Brando

Where did the baby name Brando come from in 1955?

Actor Marlon Brando in the movie "On the Waterfront" (1954)
Marlon Brando in “On the Waterfront“

Yesterday we looked at Marlon Brando’s first name, so now let’s take a look at his last name.

Brando was not commonly used as a baby name before the 1950s, when Marlon Brando first hit the scene. The name debuted in the SSA’s baby name data in 1955 following the release of the crime drama On The Waterfront (1954), in which Brando played dockworker Terry Malloy.

  • 1957: unlisted
  • 1956: 5 baby boys named Brando
  • 1955: 6 baby boys named Brando [debut]
  • 1954: unlisted
  • 1953: unlisted

Then it dropped off the list again. It stayed off the list until 1971, when the buzz surrounding The Godfather (1972) brought it back:

  • 1974: 5 baby boys named Brando
  • 1973: 13 baby boys named Brando
  • 1972: 7 baby boys named Brando
  • 1971: 5 baby boys named Brando
  • 1970: unlisted

It’s been gaining momentum ever since. So far, peak usage years have been 2004 (the year Brando passed away) and 2008. In both of these years, 104 baby boys were named Brando.

In Marlon Brando’s case, the surname “Brando” is based on the German surname Brandau, which can refer to any of several locations in Germany.

Source: SSA

Image: Screenshot of On The Waterfront

What popularized the baby name Marlon?

Actor Marlon Brando in the movie "On the Waterfront" (1954)
Marlon Brando in “On the Waterfront“

Ready for a week’s worth of names related to actor Marlon Brando?

Let’s kick things off with Marlon Brando’s first name.

The name Marlon has been given to U.S. babies (both boys and girls) for many years, but it didn’t crack the top 1,000 (for boys) until 1950:

  • 1952: 98 baby boys named Marlon [rank: 711th]
  • 1951: 69 baby boys named Marlon [rank: 846th]
  • 1950: 52 baby boys named Marlon [rank: 968th]
  • 1949: 36 baby boys named Marlon
  • 1948: 27 baby boys named Marlon
Graph of the usage of the baby name Marlon in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Marlon

This was the year Marlon Brando began appearing on the big screen, first in The Men (1950), then in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), Viva Zapata! (1952), Julius Caesar (1953) and On the Waterfront (1954).

Usage of the name has spiked twice so far:

  • The first spike was in 1955, when it became the 344th most popular boy name. This was thanks to On The Waterfront, for which Brando won the Oscar for Best Actor.
  • The second spike was in 1972, when it became the 218th most popular boy name. The Godfather (1972) — for which Brando won (but rejected!) the Oscar for Best Actor — was probably an influence, but I’m guessing the stronger influence was Marlon Jackson of The Jackson 5.

In 2009, the name Marlon was given to 374 baby boys and ranked 656th in the U.S.

What are your thoughts on this name?

Source: SSA

Image: Screenshot of On The Waterfront