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Branson

#1,222 in 2025Boys' name

Son of Brandr

Branson has been given to 8,231 babies in the U.S. since 1912. In 2025 it ranked #1,222 of 13,926 boys’ names in use. Its peak year was 2014, with 377 recorded.

Babies named Branson, 2025

1 in 20,100

Branson over time, 1880–2025

BoysGirls
010020030040018801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Branson: meaning, origin, and history

Son of Brandr

surname transfer

What Branson means

Branson means “son of Brandr”.

Origin, language, and formation

Branson is used in English. Its origins include surname transfer.

Branson is recorded as a surname transferred into given-name use.

Pronunciation and spelling

In English, Branson is pronounced /ˈbɹænsən/.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 8,226 boys were recorded with the name Branson between 1912 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 377 in 2014; its best national rank was #675 in 2014.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #875 in 2020 to #1,222 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank fell, from #694 in 2015 to #1,222 in 2025.

In the United States, 5 girls were recorded with the name Branson between 2003 and 2003. Its highest annual count was 5 in 2003; its best national rank was #16,146 in 2003.

Sources & methodologyReferences, data & attribution

Meaning, origin, and language notes draw on the references below.

American popularity figures use published Social Security Administration records for this exact spelling. Counts below five for a name, sex, and year are omitted.

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

How common is Branson?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 20,100
165 of 3,315,165 births
Among boys only
1 in 10,400
<0.01% of boys
Rank, 2025
#1,222
of 13,926 boys’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
13,928 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Branson sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Liam (20,818)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 30Under 1%
Grade of 100Under 1%
School of 5002%

Put another way: gather 13,928 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Branson. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Bransons were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Branson was born before 2011 — so the typical Branson is around 14 today.

Median birth year
2011
About 14 years old
Biggest decade
2010s
39.9% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
77.0%
A modern name
Recorded since 1950
8,051
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

2010s — 39.9% of all recorded uses (3,279).

Is Branson rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
−123
Places dropped
Rank vs 5 years ago
−347
Places dropped
Rank vs 10 years ago
−528
Places dropped
Births vs 10 years ago
0.45×
Fewer babies than then
Share of its own peak
43.8%
Peak was 2014 (377)
Years since peak
11
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Steady
9.5% average annual change
Best rank ever
#675
2014

Spellings of Branson

Branson is not the most common spelling — Brandon is, with 62.2% against Branson's 0.66%.

Grouped by closeness of spelling (up to two letter changes), same sex, with a floor on all-time use. It catches Sophia/Sofia and Aiden/Ayden, and misses spellings that sound alike but look different, like Sean and Shawn.

Where Branson is used

Across 2016–2025, Branson was most concentrated in West Virginia — about 1 in 885 boys, against 1 in 6,277 across all states with data. It was least common in Wisconsin (1 in 50,000).

2113 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1West Virginia1 in 885
  2. 2Kentucky1 in 1,786
  3. 3Louisiana1 in 1,923
  4. 4Mississippi1 in 1,923
  5. 5Tennessee1 in 2,632
  6. 6Indiana1 in 2,703
  7. 7Alabama1 in 2,778
  8. 8Ohio1 in 2,941

Shading is the share of that state's recorded boys given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings.

Geographically, Branson is one of the more regionally concentrated names in the country — more concentrated than 98% of the names used widely enough to compare. See the most regional names

Branson around the world

Where Branson ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • England & Wales
    2012–2012
    #4,805
    in 2012
  • Canada
    1994–2024
    #3,231
    in 2024
  • South Australia
    1998–2013
    #499
    in 2013

Popularity data from Office for National Statistics, Statistics Canada and Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). ONS data under Open Government Licence v3.0. StatCan data under Statistics Canada Open Licence. CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0.

Branson by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#1,222
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 347
Best rank ever
#675
2014
Peak year
2014
377 that year
First recorded
1912
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
8,226
Count in 2025
165

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
Unranked
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
—
Best rank ever
#16,146
2003
Peak year
2003
5 that year
First recorded
2003
Last recorded
2003
All-time count
5
Count in 2025
Under 5

Names similar to Branson

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

BraysonBraisonBraesonBraxsonBraidenBrandanBraulioBraylenBraedenBrandynBraydonBrannonBraedonBraylonBradleeBradlyBraylinBrandtBrandinBraytonBrandenBraedynBradynMadison

Names with a curve like Branson

Not spelling — timing. These names rose, peaked and faded in the same years as Branson, so they read as being from the same moment even when they look nothing alike.

CainAbdullahKoltenKorbinZavierJaggerGannonMaximImmanuelBlazeJovanniGibson

Sibling names for Branson

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Branson

Top names of 2014, Branson's peak yearThe 2010s in fullOther names that peaked in 2014Boys' names starting with B