Brenda

Brenda is an English name of uncertain but likely Old Norse origin, possibly derived from the element brandr, meaning sword or torch. It may have begun as a feminine form of the name Brand or Brand-related names used in the Norse-settled regions of Scotland and the northern isles. The name was popularized in the English-speaking world partly through Sir Walter Scott's 1822 novel The Pirate, in which Brenda is one of the central characters. Related forms include Brendan and Brennan, though those names derive from a separate Irish Gaelic tradition.