NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Brydon

English given name originating from an Old English surname meaning "town on a hill".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2021. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Brydon is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Brydon popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2021 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4789, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2006, with 4 births.

This profile covers 21 England and Wales registrations across 6 recorded years from 2001 to 2021. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 75% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 29 living people in the UK are called Brydon. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2022 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Brydon ranked #4789 for boys in England and Wales in 2021, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2006, when 4 boys were registered as Brydon.
  • Brydon ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #638 in 2008.
  • About 29 living people in the UK are estimated to have Brydon as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4789

2021

Births in 2021

3

Latest year

Peak year

2006

4 births

Estimated living

29

2026

Meaning

What does Brydon mean?

The name Brydon is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "bry" and "dun," which together mean "hill dweller" or "one who lives on a hill." This name has its roots in the Anglo-Saxon culture of the early medieval period in England, around the 5th to 11th centuries.

Brydon was primarily used as a surname in its early history, with records of the name appearing in various English parishes and counties from the 13th century onwards. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which mentions a Willelmus de Brydon in Lincolnshire.

As a given name, Brydon first gained popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly in Scotland and Northern England. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the first name Brydon was Brydon Traherne, a Welsh author and scholar born in 1782.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Brydon. In the 19th century, Brydon Nicholson (1818-1875) was a British soldier who served in the First Anglo-Afghan War and was instrumental in the defense of Jalalabad. Another notable bearer of the name was Brydon Coverdale (1856-1936), an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire and England in the late 19th century.

In the 20th century, Brydon Baker (1913-2002) was a British author and journalist who wrote extensively on nature and wildlife. Brydon Parnell (1922-2012) was a New Zealand cricketer who played for the national team in the 1940s and later became a cricket administrator.

Additionally, Brydon Coverdale (1936-2013) was an Australian actor and playwright, known for his work in television and theatre productions. He was a recipient of the Order of Australia for his contributions to the arts.

While the name Brydon is not extremely common, it has maintained a presence throughout history, particularly in the British Isles and countries with strong historical ties to England and Scotland.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Brydon over time

The chart below shows babies named Brydon registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2001 to 2021. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Brydon, the clearest high point is 2006. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2021, compared with 4 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Brydon
01234200120112021

Decades

Brydon by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Brydon was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #4699 6 2
2010s #3830 4 1
2000s #3369 11 3

Geography

Where Brydon is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Brydon. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Brydon ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #638 in 2008.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Brydon in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#638 in 2008

2 years of NRS records, 8 total registered

Related

Names similar to Brydon

FAQ

Brydon: questions and answers

How popular is the name Brydon in the UK right now?

In 2021, Brydon was ranked #4789 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Brydon most popular?

The peak year on record was 2006, with 4 babies registered as Brydon in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Brydon?

English given name originating from an Old English surname meaning "town on a hill".

How many people are called Brydon in the UK?

A total of 21 babies have been registered as Brydon across the 6 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 8 more in Scotland.

Where is Brydon most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Brydon ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #638 in 2008. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.