boy's name
Bryson
BRY-son
- Origin Scottish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 87,337
the United States
#152
2025 births
Bryson is a boy's name of Scottish origin meaning "son of Brice." Brice is a Gaulish name of uncertain meaning, usually given as "speckled" — so the second half is solid and the first is not.
- Bryson is a name of Scottish origin.
- Peaked in 2017, when 4,687 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,372 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1914.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Bryson over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 36 |
| 1920s | 96 |
| 1930s | 85 |
| 1940s | 112 |
| 1950s | 109 |
| 1960s | 139 |
| 1970s | 470 |
| 1980s | 2,194 |
| 1990s | 5,975 |
| 2000s | 19,168 |
| 2010s | 38,746 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 16,395 |
What Bryson means
Bryson means son of Brice. Brice itself is unresolved: speckled or freckled is the usual reading, from a Celtic root, though it is not securely demonstrated.
Where Bryson comes from
Bryson is a Scottish and northern English patronymic from Brice, borne by Saint Brice of Tours, the fifth-century successor to Saint Martin. Brice is Gaulish and its meaning is genuinely obscure — the speckled reading comes from a Celtic root brith, but the connection is proposed rather than proved. The name has an entirely separate life in Greek: Bryson of Heraclea was a fourth-century BC mathematician who worked on squaring the circle, and that name is unrelated. Modern use is American and largely recent.
Bryson in use
Our data shows Bryson stable, peaking in 2017, and it first appears in our records in 1914. Its rise belongs with Grayson, Jameson and Dawson — a group of -son surnames that climbed together in America from the 1990s, sharing a shape rather than an origin.
How popular is Bryson?
In 2025, Bryson was given to 2,416 babies in the United States, ranking #152 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Bryson 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 Bryson
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Bryson also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Bryson over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Bryson
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.
Bryson 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 Bryson
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Bryson — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Bryson
What does the name Bryson mean?
Bryson means "son of Brice," and Brice is usually given as speckled — though that reading is not securely established.
Is Bryson Scottish?
The surname is Scottish and northern English. The underlying name Brice is Gaulish.
Is Bryson related to the Greek Bryson?
No. Bryson of Heraclea, the ancient mathematician, bore an unrelated Greek name that reached the same spelling.
How popular is the name Bryson?
In 2025, Bryson was given to 2,416 babies in the United States, ranking #152 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Bryson a girl's or a boy's name?
Bryson is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Bryson?
Bryson has 2 syllables.
When was Bryson most popular?
Bryson peaked in 2017, when 4,687 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Bryson?
Bryson is usually shortened to Bry.
Is Bryson a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Bryson currently ranks #152 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.