Brietta
A feminine name of uncertain etymology potentially derived from Germanic roots.
Name Census estimates that about 208 living Americans carry the first name Brietta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Brietta today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brietta births was 2006 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brietta. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
208
~ 1 in 1,647,857 Americans
Peak year
2006
18 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2015 SSA rank
#16,912
Tracked since 1970
Census
Brietta in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 232 people with the first name Brietta, which placed it at #34,960 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#34,960
National first-name rank
People counted
232
232 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
69.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brietta
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Brietta is White at 69.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (8.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Brietta described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Brietta at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.0% · 160
- Black or African American15.1% · 35
- Two or more races8.6% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Popularity
Brietta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brietta from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 68 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Brietta remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brietta by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Brietta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Brietta
The name Brietta originated from the Old French language and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is a feminine form derived from the French word "bri," meaning "bright" or "brilliant." The name was likely initially given to girls born with a bright complexion or a radiant personality.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Brietta can be found in a medieval French manuscript from the late 12th century, where it was used to refer to a noblewoman from the region of Burgundy. This manuscript provides valuable insight into the name's usage during that era.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Brietta de Montfort lived in England. She was a member of the prominent Montfort family and played a significant role in the political and social affairs of her time. Her name was often mentioned in historical records and chronicles, further solidifying the name's presence.
During the Renaissance period, a Italian painter named Brietta Baglioni (1504-1590) gained recognition for her exceptional skills in portraiture. She was born in Perugia and became a prominent figure in the art world, earning praise for her ability to capture the essence of her subjects.
In the 17th century, Brietta von Stein (1623-1701) was a German noblewoman and scholar known for her extensive knowledge of languages and literature. She was highly respected in intellectual circles and maintained a correspondence with notable figures of her time.
Another noteworthy individual was Brietta Carlson (1866-1942), a Swedish-American educator and philanthropist who dedicated her life to improving educational opportunities for underprivileged children. She founded several schools and educational institutions, leaving a lasting impact on the communities she served.
Throughout its history, the name Brietta has been associated with individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields, including art, literature, education, and social welfare. Despite its uncommon nature, the name has maintained a distinct charm and elegance, reflecting its origins and the exceptional individuals who have carried it.
People
Brietta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brietta as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Brietta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brietta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 208 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brietta going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,647,857 US residents.
Is Brietta a common name?
We classify Brietta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 216 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brietta most popular?
The single biggest year for Brietta was 2006, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brietta is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Brietta in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 232 people with the name Brietta, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,960 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Brietta in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Brietta?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Brietta appears almost entirely female. Of the 235 people counted with this name, 99.6% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Brietta?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Brietta is White at 69.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (8.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Brietta most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Brietta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.0% (160 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Brietta in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Brietta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brietta in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Brietta still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Brietta in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Brietta can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Brietta?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Brietta at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.