Brody
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Meaning
surname/place name, traditionally "muddy place"
The story
Brody carries one of the least glamorous meanings in the name books, traditionally a muddy place, an Irish surname rooted in the land itself, and parents have never seemed to mind. That is because Brody has always been about sound rather than story: two friendly syllables ending in a grin, kin to Cody, Brady and Brooks. It surfaced in American records only around the 1960s and idled for a generation before the 2000s sent it climbing fast. Hollywood kept the surname in view along the way, most memorably when Adrien Brody won the Best Actor Oscar in 2003, and the name's biggest jump came in exactly those years; the timing lines up, even if the broader surname trend was doing the heavy lifting. Brody peaked in the 2010s and has settled just slightly, a casual, sandlot sort of name that wears its mud proudly.
How popular is Brody around the world?
In the United States, 10,918 babies were named Brody between 2020 and 2025. In Scotland, 47 boys named Brody were registered in 2024, the 113th most common name among boys that year.
Brody is on the official records of the United States, Scotland, England and Wales, Ireland, Canada, South Australia and New Zealand.
United States
1 in 2,000
In the United States, 10,918 babies were named Brody between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Brody peaked in the 2010s. Brody went to 3,764 US babies in 2015 and 1,492 in 2025, 40% of the earlier figure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Scotland
1 in 970
In Scotland, 47 boys named Brody were registered in 2024, the 113th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
England and Wales
1 in 1,200
In England and Wales, 491 boys named Brody were born in 2025, the 106th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Ireland
1 in 1,500
In Ireland, 36 boys named Brody were born in 2025, the 147th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Canada
1 in 2,300
In Canada, 160 boys named Brody were born in 2024, the 208th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
South Australia
1 in 2,3002017
In South Australia, 8 boys were registered as Brody in 2017.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
New Zealand
1 in 4,400
In New Zealand, 13 boys named Brody were registered in 2025.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Austria record for 1984 to 2025: Statistik Austria publishes every first name down to a single birth, so this name was not given there in those years (before 2010 the record covers babies with Austrian citizenship only). Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Brody
Most people given the name Brody in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
Names like Brody · Names that go with Brody · Middle names for Brody · Climbers and fallers
The Brody deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Brody truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Brody fits with your family’s names and surname.
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