Which architectural critic popularized the term 'Brutalism'?

Which architectural critic popularized the term “Brutalism”? Reyner Banham popularized it.

Banham’s role came through his essay “The New Brutalism,” published in the British journal Architectural Review in December 1955. He helped turn a loose architectural slogan into a widely discussed critical category, linking the movement to exposed structure, “as-found” materials, and an ethic of directness. He expanded the argument in his 1966 book The New Brutalism: Ethic or Aesthetic?

Banham did not invent every use of the word. Swedish architect Hans Asplund reportedly used “neo-brutalism” in 1950, while Alison and Peter Smithson used “New Brutalism” for their work by 1953. Le Corbusier’s phrase béton brut, meaning “raw concrete,” also strongly influenced the term’s later associations.

A common mix-up is crediting Le Corbusier or the Smithsons as the person who popularized the label. They were important to Brutalism’s development, but Banham was the critic who disseminated, analyzed, and established the term in architectural discourse.