How to say it
BRAY · den
/ˈbreɪ.dən/
Masculine
Brayden
Salmon, or 'broad valley'
What it means
Modern American respelling of Braden, from the Irish surname Ó Bradáin ('descendant of Bradán,' the personal name meaning 'salmon'). The -aden ending also evokes the English Bredon ('broad valley'). Part of the early-2000s -ayden cluster (Jayden, Cayden, Aiden, Hayden).
Brayden is a modern American respelling of Braden, from the Irish surname Ó Bradáin meaning 'descendant of Bradán' (the personal name meaning 'salmon'). The salmon was a sacred fish in Irish mythology (the Salmon of Knowledge). The double-spelling Brayden surfaced in the US in the 1990s as part of the -ayden cluster that includes Jayden, Cayden, Aiden, and Hayden. It peaked in the US top 50 around 2010-2012 and has been declining since. The name reads as quintessentially modern American, with no deep historical bearer; the appeal is the rhythmic -ayden ending. Common short: Bray.
Popularity over time
peaked at #36 in 2011, currently #229 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Spelling
Braden (single-vowel), Braeden, Braiden, and Brayden are all the same name; Brayden is the dominant US spelling since the late 1990s.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Brayden Schenn Canadian NHL center, St. Louis Blues, 2019 Stanley Cup winner
Spelling variants
- Braden
- Braeden
- Braiden
- Braydon
Names with the same feeling
See Brayden from another angle
By style