Bristyl
A feminine name of English origin meaning "town by the Bristol River".
Name Census estimates that about 156 living Americans carry the first name Bristyl. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Bristyl today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bristyl births was 2012 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bristyl. 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
156
~ 1 in 2,197,143 Americans
Peak year
2012
19 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,727
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Bristyl: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bristyl from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 107 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Bristyl remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bristyl 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 Bristyl 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 Bristyl
The name Bristyl is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English words "brycg" meaning bridge and "styl" meaning stile or steps. It is thought to have originated as a surname for someone who lived near a bridge or stile, likely in the areas of southern England or East Anglia during the medieval period.
One of the earliest known references to the name Bristyl can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. There are records of individuals with the surname Bristyl or variations like Brisyll or Brystyll listed as landowners in various counties.
In the 13th century, there are mentions of a Bristyl family in the county of Somerset, with records indicating they held land and property in the region. A notable figure from this time was Sir Richard Bristyl, a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against the French in the mid-14th century.
During the Renaissance period, there are records of a Bristyl family in the city of Bristol, which was a prominent port and trading center. It is possible that the name may have derived from the city's name, which itself is believed to have originated from the Anglo-Saxon words "brycg" and "stow" meaning "bridge place."
In the 17th century, a Puritan minister named John Bristyl gained recognition for his sermons and writings, which focused on promoting religious reform and challenging the established Church of England. He was born in 1620 and lived until 1688, leaving behind a legacy of influential theological works.
Another notable figure with the name Bristyl was William Bristyl, a British explorer and navigator who was part of several expeditions to the Arctic regions in the late 18th century. He was born in 1745 and is known for his detailed journals and maps, which contributed to the exploration and understanding of the Arctic at the time.
While the name Bristyl may have faded in popularity over time, it remains a unique and intriguing name with a rich history rooted in Anglo-Saxon origins and various notable individuals who have carried it throughout the centuries.
People
Bristyl + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bristyl 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
Bristyl: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bristyl?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 156 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bristyl 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 2,197,143 US residents.
Is Bristyl a common name?
We classify Bristyl as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 157 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bristyl most popular?
The single biggest year for Bristyl was 2012, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bristyl is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Bristyl in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bristyl a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bristyl 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 Bristyl still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bristyl 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 Bristyl 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Bristyl?
See how many people share the name Bristyl on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.