Fun Facts About the Name Brave
- 665 babies named Brave: U.S. records list 665 babies given the name Brave from 1880 through 2025. Even 159 girls received the name Brave - about 1 girl for every 3 boys.
What Does the Name Brave Mean?
Brave is an English word name, taken from the adjective brave, which means "courageous, bold" - ready to face danger or pain. The adjective came into English from Middle French brave, where it meant "splendid, fine, valiant." Middle French borrowed it from Italian bravo, an adjective with senses such as "bold, clever, fierce"; the same Italian word is the source of the English shout of approval bravo. The deeper origin of Italian bravo is disputed. One explanation traces it to Latin barbarus, "foreign, barbarous," by way of a Vulgar Latin form; another traces it to Latin pravus, "crooked, wicked," with the sense shifting from "fierce, unruly" toward "bold, fine." Neither explanation has been settled.
Brave Name History & Origins
The adjective brave appears in English in the late Middle Ages, when it first carried senses like "showy, splendid, handsome." The modern meaning of courage in the face of danger developed afterward, and English also formed the verb brave ("to face or endure defiantly") and the noun bravery from the same base.
As a personal name, Brave belongs to the English custom of word names - names taken directly from ordinary vocabulary, such as Grace, Hope, Prudence, and Charity. That custom was especially strong among the Puritans of the 16th and 17th centuries, who favored abstract nouns of this kind; adjective word names such as Merry and Happy were used as well, though less often. Brave falls into this smaller group and has remained uncommon rather than customary. Because the name is the ordinary English adjective, it carries no separate name etymology of its own.
How Popular is the Name Brave?
Brave has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2022. Its best rank was #2,505 in 2021.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,238 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #10,380 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #6,976 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2022 | #5,188 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 2021 | #7,010 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2020 | #5,693 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 2019 | #6,213 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2018 | #7,823 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2017 | #12,938 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2016 | #16,671 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #6,765 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,191 | 37 | 0.0022% |
| 2024 | #3,329 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 2023 | #2,511 | 53 | 0.0031% |
| 2022 | #2,521 | 54 | 0.0031% |
| 2021 | #2,505 | 53 | 0.0030% |
| 2020 | #2,511 | 51 | 0.0030% |
| 2019 | #2,945 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 2018 | #3,381 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 2017 | #5,132 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2016 | #3,600 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 2015 | #4,565 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2014 | #4,897 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2013 | #5,698 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2012 | #5,278 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2011 | #12,528 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #9,828 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #9,088 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #8,404 | 9 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Brave Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You can go to great heights and equally great depths. You are emotional and fixed in your opinions. You are hospitable, sentimental, often psychic, sometimes moody. You are ruled by love and the lack of it and feel a need to be encouraged and appreciated. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Brave's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Brave's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.