girl's name
Brittany
BRIT-uh-nee
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 376,874
the United States
#928
2025 births
Brittany is a girl's name taken from the French region, which is named for British settlers who crossed the Channel in late antiquity. Our records carry it only from 1963, and it peaked at 38,008 births in 1989.
- Brittany is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1989, when 38,008 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 11,798 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1963.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Brittany over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1960s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 148 |
| 1970s | 3,528 |
| 1980s | 141,498 |
| 1990s | 191,186 |
| 2000s | 17,597 |
| 2010s | 5,964 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,830 |
What Brittany means
Brittany means from Brittany, the region of northwestern France. The region's own name means the land of the Britons, so the name ultimately points back across the Channel.
Where Brittany comes from
Brittany is the English name of Bretagne, the western peninsula of France, and it means the land of the Britons — settlers from Britain who crossed in the fifth and sixth centuries, taking their Brittonic language with them. That language became Breton, which is why Breton is closer to Welsh than to French, and why names like Maël and Gwenaël appear in the French charts at all. So a girl called Brittany carries the name of a French region named after British migrants. The name's use is American and its rise is entirely within living memory: our records begin in 1963.
Brittany in use
Brittany peaked in the United States in 1989, when 38,008 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 928th in the United States on 281 births, 4435th in England and Wales and 5787th in France, across 376,874 lifetime births. Its 38,008 peak is one of the highest single-year figures for any name our records carry only from the 1960s, which makes it an unusually compressed curve — from nothing to a top-twenty name and back within thirty years.
How popular is Brittany?
In 2025, Brittany was given to 281 babies in the United States, ranking #928 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Brittany 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 Brittany
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Brittany also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Brittany over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Brittany
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.
Brittany 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 Brittany
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Brittany — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Brittany
What does the name Brittany mean?
From Brittany — the French region, whose own name means the land of the Britons.
Why is Brittany in France named after Britain?
Settlers from Britain crossed the Channel in the fifth and sixth centuries, taking their language with them. It became Breton.
Is it Brittany or Britney?
Brittany follows the region's spelling; Britney is a later respelling.
How popular is Brittany?
928th in the United States, down from a 1989 peak of 38,008 births.
Is Brittany a girl's or a boy's name?
Brittany is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Brittany?
Brittany has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Brittany?
Brittany is usually shortened to Britt.
Is Brittany a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Brittany currently ranks #928 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.