The Brennan surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 49,238 people carried this name — #701 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,990 people counted. That is up 2% from 48,296 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Brennan surname

From Irish Ó Braonáin (“descendant of Braonán”), a diminutive of braon (“moisture, drop”). Alternatively, from Irish Ó Branáin (“descendant of Branán”), a diminutive of bran (“raven”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Brennan» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Brennand’.

An early record he cites: Simon Brenhand, Cambridgeshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Brennan, Brennand, Burnand and Brennard.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 131 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 358 births for the Brennan name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 15,900 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 22 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 178
Connacht 94
Munster 50
Ulster 36

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 152 people named Brennan live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 58
City of Buenos Aires 56
Mendoza 26
Santa Fe 12

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

54 people named Brennan live in Switzerland.

They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Vaud 19
Zurich 10
Geneva 7
Bern 6
Basel-Landschaft 4
Solothurn 4
Zug 4

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 35 people named Brennan.

Most of them — 20 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 5 départements, most often Calvados.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 20
Calvados 4
Seine-Maritime 4
Paris 3
Yvelines 3
Loire-Atlantique 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Poland’s population register

30 people named Brennan have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 84 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 7 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Lesser Poland.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Lesser Poland 8
Masovian 7
Kuyavian-Pomeranian 4
Pomeranian 4
Lublin 3
Silesian 2
West Pomeranian 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In the Nordic population registers

65 people named Brennan are counted in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 42
Finland (2026) 23

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In Scotland’s registers today

Brennan was recorded 54 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 485th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 66. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Brennan in American newspapers,
1909–1924.

Newspaper page from The Semi-weekly Leader carrying the name Brennan
The Semi-weekly Leader 1922-07-12
Newspaper page from The Pacific Commercial Advertiser carrying the name Brennan
The Pacific Commercial Advertiser 1909-12-12
Newspaper page from Grant County Herald carrying the name Brennan
Grant County Herald 1924-04-02

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 7,232 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Brennan in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2000s.

208,788 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Brennan. The most, 44,092, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Northern Territory, at 2.2 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 58,453
Queensland 56,745
Victoria 45,677
Western Australia 26,018
South Australia 13,473
Tasmania 5,924
ACT (Canberra) 1,591
Northern Territory 654

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Brennan.

Who carried it

People named Brennan,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Louis Brennan
    Louis Brennan 1852–1932 · engineer
  • Thomas Brennan
    Thomas Brennan 1853–1912 · politician
  • Michael Brennan
    Michael Brennan 1857–1939 · politician
  • Tom Brennan
    Tom Brennan 1866–1944 · politician
  • Christopher Brennan
    Christopher Brennan 1870–1932 · writer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped — Louis Brennan: The original uploader was Martin Cordon at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/); the others are in the public domain or CC0 · 228 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Brennan,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States17,838 records

17,838 records of the Brennan name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 6,329
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 4,840
  • Other U.S. records 6,669
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Francis Brennan

    Born 1949; from Levittown, Pennsylvania. U.S. Navy, aviation ordnanceman; died in an accident 1970 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Beverly National Cemetery, New Jersey.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Thomas E. Brennan

    Born 1903 in Wyoming. Enlisted 1941 at Newcastle; laundry worker from Weston County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1969, buried at Black Hills National Cemetery, South Dakota.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Kate Brennan

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Furnessia from Glasgow and Londonderry, aged 22; servant. From Strabane, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 17,838 records for Brennan in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia3,983 records

3,983 records of the Brennan name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,336
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 1,061
  • Other Australian records 1,586
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Elizabeth Brennan

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Lord Auckland, sailing from Dublin in 1848. Native of Dublin, Dublin. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Charles Brennan

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Lord Auckland, sailing from Ireland in 1852. Native of Westmeath. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1855. Married 1855 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 25.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Francis Brennan

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Equestrian, sailing from London in 1844. Native of Dublin, Dublin. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1856. Married 1856 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 24.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 3,983 records for Brennan in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada640 records

640 records of the Brennan name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 504
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 45
  • Other Canadian records 91
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record John Brennan

    Killed in the Halifax Explosion of 1917.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm Brennan

    Came to Ontario in 1872 aboard the Prussian, landing at Quebec, bound for Bracebridge, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record William F. Brennan

    Buried in 1953 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 85.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 640 records for Brennan in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Ireland97 records

97 records of the Brennan name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Brennan

    Died 1977, aged 81; buried at Labane, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Delia Brennan

    Died 1974, aged 55; buried at Boyounagh, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Michael Francis Brennan

    Died 2000, aged 95; buried at Clontuskert Abbey, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 97 records for Brennan in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom58 records

58 records of the Brennan name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 48
  • Stirling Council burial records 7
  • Other British records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mark Brennan

    Died 2001, aged 24; buried at Drymen Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Mary Agnes Brennan

    Will proved in 1940; of Llanelly, Carmarthenshire.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Brennan

    Labour Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 58 records for Brennan in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands47 records

47 records of the Brennan name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 25
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 22
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Susan Ellen Brennan

    Born 1881 in Zwolle. Married in 1903 in Zwolle. Died 1960 in Ede, aged 79.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Hermina Hendrika Brennan

    Born 1917 in Veenendaal. Married in 1939 in Voorburg.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 47 records for Brennan in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

New Zealand28 records

28 records of the Brennan name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 15
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 6
  • Other New Zealand records 7
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Brigid Margaret Brennan

    Died 1991, aged 79; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Charlotte Brennan

    Buried in 1871 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 34.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 28 records for Brennan in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France7 records

7 records of the Brennan name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Kate Brennan

    Born 1905 in Ireland; died 2000 in Angers (Maine-et-Loire).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Patrick Jamel Brennan

    Born 1892 in Paris; died 1973 in Neuilly-sur-Seine (Hauts-de-Seine).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 7 records for Brennan in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Norway1 record

1 record of the Brennan name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Sivert Brennan

    Census of 1910: Brennan (gaard), Meraker; farmer, born 1852 in Opdal.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Brennan.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Brennan is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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