girl's name
Bridget
BRIJ-it
- Origin Irish
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 104,771
the United States
#724
2025 births
Bridget means exalted one, and it belonged to a goddess before a saint — Brigid was the Irish deity of poetry, smithcraft and healing, and the saint absorbed her feast, her fire and her attributes.
- Bridget is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in 1973, when 2,770 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 8,611 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Bridget over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 349 |
| 1890s | 354 |
| 1900s | 326 |
| 1910s | 668 |
| 1920s | 715 |
| 1930s | 648 |
| 1940s | 1,113 |
| 1950s | 5,564 |
| 1960s | 14,483 |
| 1970s | 18,936 |
| 1980s | 17,160 |
| 1990s | 14,612 |
| 2000s | 9,861 |
| 2010s | 5,454 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,274 |
What Bridget means
Bridget means the exalted one, or the high one. The Irish Brígh means power, strength or high, so the name describes elevation rather than any specific quality.
Where Bridget comes from
Bridget is the Irish Brighid, from brígh — power, strength or exaltation. Brigid was a goddess of poetry, smithcraft and healing, one of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and the saint who took her name in the fifth century inherited a great deal from her: the feast on 1 February at Imbolc, the perpetual fire at Kildare tended by nineteen nuns, and the patronage of poets and smiths. Whether the saint existed is debated; that the goddess did not stop being venerated is not.
Bridget in use
Bridget peaked in the United States in 1973, when 2,770 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 225th in Ireland on 20 births — far above every other market — then 507th in Northern Ireland, 724th in the United States on 385, 861st in England and Wales on 42 and 1031st in Scotland, across 104,771 lifetime births in six of the seven markets we track.
How popular is Bridget?
In 2025, Bridget was given to 385 babies in the United States, ranking #724 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Bridget is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Bridget
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Bridget also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Bridget over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Bridget
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Bridget in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Bridget
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Bridget — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Bridget
What does the name Bridget mean?
The exalted one — the Irish brígh, power or high.
Was Brigid a goddess or a saint?
Both, and the saint inherited the goddess's feast day, her fire at Kildare and her patronage of poets and smiths.
Is Brigitte the same name?
Yes — the French form.
Where is Bridget most used?
Ireland at 225th, far above every other market we track.
How popular is the name Bridget?
In 2025, Bridget was given to 385 babies in the United States, ranking #724 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Bridget a girl's or a boy's name?
Bridget is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Bridget?
Bridget has 2 syllables.
When was Bridget most popular?
Bridget peaked in 1973, when 2,770 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Bridget?
Bridget is usually shortened to Bridie and Biddy.
Is Bridget a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Bridget currently ranks #225 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.