Brystal
A feminine name of modern origin, possibly a combination of "Bry" and "crystal".
Name Census estimates that about 754 living Americans carry the first name Brystal. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Brystal today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brystal births was 2011 (74 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brystal. 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
754
~ 1 in 454,581 Americans
Peak year
2011
74 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,023
Tracked since 1982
Census
Brystal in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 646 people with the first name Brystal, which placed it at #17,193 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
#17,193
National first-name rank
People counted
646
646 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
85.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brystal
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Brystal is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Brystal 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 Brystal at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 549
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 32
- Two or more races3.7% · 24
- Black or African American3.6% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 18
Popularity
Brystal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brystal from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 508 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brystal 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 Brystal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Brystals live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Texas, North Carolina, Kentucky recorded the most babies named Brystal, while Wisconsin, Arizona, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Brystal
The name Brystal is a unique and intriguing one, with roots that can be traced back to ancient civilizations. Its origins are rooted in the language of the Druids, a spiritual and cultural group that inhabited parts of ancient Britain, Ireland, and Gaul. The name is believed to have been derived from the Druidic word "brystal," which translates to "clear, pure, or sparkling."
This connection to the Druids suggests that the name may have held spiritual or mystical significance, perhaps relating to the beauty and clarity of natural elements like water or crystals. The Druids were known for their reverence for nature and the elements, so a name tied to these concepts would align with their beliefs and practices.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brystal can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a collection of ancient Irish chronicles compiled in the 17th century. The text mentions a Brystal mac Ánrothán, a prominent Irish figure who lived in the 9th century AD.
Throughout history, the name Brystal has been borne by individuals from various walks of life. One notable example is Brystal of Amiens, a 13th-century French scholar and theologian who made significant contributions to the intellectual and religious discourse of the time. Another figure of note is Brystal of Nuremberg, a 16th-century German artist and engraver whose intricate works were highly regarded during the Renaissance era.
In the realm of literature, the name Brystal appears in the epic poem "The Faerie Queene" by Edmund Spenser, published in 1590. In the poem, Brystal is portrayed as a symbol of purity and virtue, further reinforcing the name's connection to clarity and transparency.
Moving into more modern times, Brystal Dickinson was a British artist and illustrator born in 1875, known for her intricate botanical illustrations and her contributions to the Art Nouveau movement. Brystal Dunnett, born in 1923, was a renowned Scottish author and historian, renowned for her historical fiction novels set in medieval Scotland.
Throughout the centuries, the name Brystal has carried a sense of mystique and beauty, reflecting its ancient roots and connection to the natural world. While its origins may be shrouded in the mists of time, its enduring presence in various cultural and artistic spheres speaks to its timeless appeal and significance.
People
Brystal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brystal 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
Brystal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brystal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 754 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brystal 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 454,581 US residents.
Is Brystal a common name?
We classify Brystal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 762 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brystal most popular?
The single biggest year for Brystal was 2011, when 74 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brystal is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Brystal in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 646 people with the name Brystal, or 0.21 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #17,193 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 Brystal 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 Brystal?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Brystal leans strongly female. 637 people counted with this name were female (98.8%), compared with 8 male bearers (1.2%). 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 Brystal?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Brystal is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Brystal most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Brystal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (549 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 Brystal in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Brystal a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brystal 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 Brystal still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Brystal 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 Brystal 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 share the name Brystal?
You can see how many people share the name Brystal on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.