Breccan
A masculine given name of Gaelic origin meaning "freckled".
Name Census estimates that about 363 living Americans carry the first name Breccan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Breccan today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Breccan births was 2014 (48 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Breccan. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Breccan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
363
~ 1 in 944,227 Americans
Peak year
2014
48 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2023 SSA rank
#9,031
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Breccan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Breccan 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 284 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
Breccan 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 Breccan 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 Breccan
The name Breccan has its origins in ancient Celtic languages, specifically Irish Gaelic and Welsh. It is believed to have emerged during the early medieval period, around the 5th to 7th centuries AD. The name is derived from the Old Irish word "brecán," which means "freckled" or "speckled." It is also related to the Welsh word "brychan," meaning "freckled" or "speckled one."
In Irish mythology, Breccan was the name of a legendary Irish saint and abbot who lived in the 5th or 6th century. He is said to have founded several monasteries in Wales and is venerated as the patron saint of the Welsh kingdom of Brycheiniog (now Breconshire). The name Breccan appears in several ancient Irish and Welsh manuscripts, including the Book of Leinster and the Book of Taliesin.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Breccan can be found in the Annals of Ulster, an ancient chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention a Breccan mac Ḟergusa, who was the King of Uí Bressail (a medieval Irish kingdom) in the late 7th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Breccan:
1. Breccan of Ardbraccan (c. 550 - c. 650), an Irish saint and founder of the monastery of Ardbraccan in County Meath, Ireland.
2. Brychan Brycheiniog (c. 500 - c. 550), a legendary Welsh king and saint who gave his name to the kingdom of Brycheiniog.
3. Breccan mac Ḟergusa (fl. 670s), the King of Uí Bressail mentioned in the Annals of Ulster.
4. Breccan mac Luigdech (fl. 670s), an Irish poet and scribe active during the 7th century.
5. Breccan mac Máele Tuile (fl. 890s), an Irish scribe and scholar who worked on the Book of Armagh in the late 9th century.
While the name Breccan was once widely used in Celtic regions, particularly in Ireland and Wales, it has become less common in modern times. However, it remains a part of the rich cultural heritage and history of these regions, serving as a reminder of the ancient Celtic traditions and legends.
People
Breccan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Breccan 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
Breccan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Breccan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 363 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Breccan 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 944,227 US residents.
Is Breccan a common name?
We classify Breccan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 366 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Breccan most popular?
The single biggest year for Breccan was 2014, when 48 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Breccan 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 Breccan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Breccan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Breccan in the SSA data are male. 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 Breccan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Breccan 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 Breccan 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 common is the name Breccan?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.