Baby Name Popularity Profile

Brian

Data-driven SSA statistics, rankings, and historical trends for Brian.

✦ High, noble, strong 🌍 Irish, Celtic Traditional Royal
National Rank (2025) #339
All-Time Peak Rank #8 Achieved 1970
Total U.S. Births 1,173,735 since 1880
Unisex Distribution 99.8% Boy / 0.2% Girl Overwhelmingly Male
Girl Rank (2025) Unranked rare/no Girl usage
First Recorded 1909 Data through: 2025
Peak Decade 1970s 36,306 births in 1972
πŸ’‘ The Brian Vibe: Considered a Perennial Favorite. A historic staple that has maintained dominant national popularity for over half a century.

🌍 Meaning & Etymology

Primary Meaning High, noble, strong
Language Origin Irish, Celtic
Origin Type single
Derived from the Old Irish name BrΓ­an, possibly from a Proto-Celtic root *brig- meaning 'high' or 'noble'.
Common Nicknames
Bri B
Alternative Spellings
Bryan Brien
Pronunciation: BRY-Ι™n
Themes & Categories
Traditional Royal
Etymology confidence: High

πŸ“Š Popularity Over Time (1880 – 2025)

Annual registration volume (number of births) for Brian across 146 years of SSA data.

Historical Timeline (1880 - 2025)
18801920196020002025
Recent Decade (2015 - 2025)
5-Year Trend (2020–2025) -22.4%
10-Year Trend (2015–2025) -55.9%
2015: 2,218 births 2,218 2016: 1,984 births 2017: 1,778 births 2018: 1,631 births 2019: 1,479 births 2020: 1,261 births 1,261 2021: 1,188 births 2022: 1,180 births 2023: 1,049 births 2024: 1,116 births 2025: 979 births 979
2015 2020 2025

πŸ“ˆ Popularity Milestones

Busiest Year on Record 36,306 births in 1972
Years in Top 100 63 yrs
Years in Top 500 93 yrs
Longest Streak 115 yrs
Decade-by-Decade Registration Volumes
1880s: 0
1890s: 0
1900s: 5
1910s: 116
1920s: 566
1930s: 3,173
1940s: 22,793
1950s: 112,336
1960s: 258,129
1970s: 322,660
1980s: 233,993
1990s: 119,309
2000s: 69,775
2010s: 24,107
2020s: 6,773

πŸ“ Sound & Spelling Structure

Phonetic Syllables Bri-an
Letter Count 5 letters
Spelling Complexity Moderate
Length Percentile Longer than 7.7% of names
Linguistic Profile: It is an isogram, meaning no two letters are repeated. Longer than 7.7% of SSA names. Starts with B, a letter used by only 3.6% of SSA names.

πŸ› οΈ Sibling & Surname Cadence Tool

Enter a surname or sibling name to test how it pairs with Brian.

πŸ‘¨β€πŸ‘©β€πŸ‘§ Sibling Name Suggestions

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πŸ“ Authentic State & Regional Rankings

Highest Ranking State Delaware
Top States Delaware, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut
States with Data 51
State 2025 Rank Total Births Peak Year 5-Yr Velocity
Delaware #170 3,794 1972 Insufficient historical volume
New Hampshire Unranked 5,837 1983 Insufficient historical volume
Massachusetts #240 42,885 1972 13.8% Decline
Vermont Unranked 3,004 1962 Insufficient historical volume
Connecticut #329 18,974 1970 Insufficient historical volume
Rhode Island Unranked 6,098 1973 Insufficient historical volume
New Jersey #254 45,717 1973 19.6% Decline
Alaska Unranked 2,293 1976 Insufficient historical volume
Wisconsin #527 31,381 1967 Insufficient historical volume
Michigan #378 57,552 1969 43.9% Decline
District of Columbia #171 6,812 1972 Insufficient historical volume
Maryland #287 22,683 1972 26.9% Decline
Ohio #289 67,755 1972 26.3% Decline
Minnesota #479 26,805 1962 Insufficient historical volume
Oregon #482 12,961 1977 Insufficient historical volume
Illinois #280 69,634 1972 2.5% Decline
Iowa #505 18,712 1972 Insufficient historical volume
Maine Unranked 6,170 1963 Insufficient historical volume
Indiana #353 33,127 1972 16.0% Decline
Washington #339 22,534 1969 12.0% Decline
Wyoming Unranked 1,882 1972 Insufficient historical volume
Pennsylvania #293 72,320 1972 39.1% Decline
New York #360 101,362 1972 35.5% Decline
Hawaii Unranked 4,023 1960 Insufficient historical volume
California #325 125,913 1977 32.3% Decline
Nebraska #382 9,184 1973 Insufficient historical volume
Montana Unranked 3,777 1974 Insufficient historical volume
North Dakota #197 4,069 1963 Insufficient historical volume
Nevada #301 3,944 1984 Insufficient historical volume
South Dakota Unranked 3,981 1973 Insufficient historical volume
Colorado #347 13,984 1973 Insufficient historical volume
Kansas Unranked 12,293 1972 Insufficient historical volume
Idaho #444 4,600 1974 Insufficient historical volume
Missouri #283 25,233 1972 Insufficient historical volume
Virginia #297 24,534 1973 22.2% Decline
Florida #231 35,106 1974 4.2% Decline
Arizona #493 12,544 1974 48.1% Decline
Utah #410 8,317 1974 Insufficient historical volume
West Virginia #306 9,262 1972 Insufficient historical volume
Kentucky #255 15,744 1972 Insufficient historical volume
New Mexico Unranked 4,830 1974 Insufficient historical volume
Louisiana #354 15,570 1972 Insufficient historical volume
Oklahoma #471 11,412 1973 Insufficient historical volume
North Carolina #407 22,269 1973 25.0% Decline
Tennessee #481 16,276 1972 44.8% Decline
Georgia #408 20,499 1973 30.0% Decline
South Carolina #329 10,164 1973 Insufficient historical volume
Arkansas Unranked 7,154 1972 Insufficient historical volume
Texas #368 49,347 1973 21.3% Decline
Alabama #423 11,578 1972 Insufficient historical volume
Mississippi #475 6,304 1973 Insufficient historical volume

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