Brave

Meaning of Brave

Brave is an English word-name drawn from the Middle French “brave,” meaning courageous or splendid, and it has migrated from battlefield commendation to birth certificate with surprising ease. First recorded in U.S. baby data only in 2008, the name has hovered in the high-800s ever since—35 American children wore it in 2024, giving it a rank of 889—suggesting that parents like the statement but still appreciate its rarity. As a true unisex option, Brave carries no gendered baggage; its associations range from the Celtic archery heroine of Pixar’s “Brave” to the historic use of “brave” for a Native warrior, to modern tech nods like the privacy-minded Brave browser. The appeal is part aspirational slogan, part nominative truth-in-advertising, offering a child a built-in pep talk that is short, phonetic, and—as the spelling already tells you—decidedly straightforward.

Pronunciation

English

• Pronunced as BRAYV (/breɪv/)

• Valiant
• Fearless
• Courageous
• Bold
• Strong
• Daring
• Adventurous