Breella
A unique feminine name of unknown origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the first name Breella. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Breella today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Breella births was 2012 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Breella. 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
117
~ 1 in 2,929,524 Americans
Peak year
2012
11 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,384
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Breella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Breella 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 84 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
Breella 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 Breella 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 Breella
The name Breella is believed to have originated from the ancient Celtic language of Brittonic, which was spoken in parts of Britain and continental Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era. It is thought to be derived from the Brittonic words "bre" meaning "hill" and "ella" meaning "light" or "brightness," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone living on a bright or illuminated hilltop.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Breella can be found in the 6th century CE, where it appears in the genealogical records of the Welsh kingdom of Gwynedd. It is mentioned as the name of a minor noblewoman who lived during the reign of King Maelgwn Gwynedd, though little else is known about her life or significance.
In the 9th century CE, a Breella is mentioned in the Annales Cambriae, a chronicle of Welsh history, as being a nun at the monastery of Llanilltud Fawr (now known as Llantwit Major) in Wales. However, the entry provides no further details about her role or influence within the religious community.
The name Breella appears to have been relatively uncommon throughout much of the Middle Ages, but it resurfaced in the 16th century with the birth of Breella Fitz-Warin (c. 1520 – 1580), an English noblewoman and landowner from Shropshire. She was known for her involvement in a long-running legal dispute over the ownership of the Fitz-Warin estates, which ultimately led to a landmark ruling in English property law.
Another notable figure with the name Breella was the 17th-century Welsh poet and bardic student, Breella Wyn (c. 1640 – 1710). She was educated at the renowned Bardic Colleges of Glamorgan and is remembered for her contributions to the preservation and promotion of Welsh language and culture during a period of English cultural dominance.
In the 19th century, Breella Vaughan (1819 – 1887) was a Welsh philanthropist and social reformer who worked tirelessly to improve the living conditions of the poor and underprivileged in her community. She founded several charitable organizations and was instrumental in establishing schools and healthcare facilities in rural areas of Wales.
While the name Breella has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has maintained a presence in various pockets of Celtic and British cultures, serving as a reminder of the rich linguistic and cultural heritage from which it originated.
People
Breella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Breella 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
Breella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Breella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 117 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Breella 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 2,929,524 US residents.
Is Breella a common name?
We classify Breella as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 118 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Breella most popular?
The single biggest year for Breella was 2012, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Breella 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 Breella in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Breella a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Breella 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 Breella still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Breella 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 Breella 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 many people share the name Breella?
You can see how many Americans are named Breella on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.