Breh
Short form of "brother", used as a familiar term of address.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Breh. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Breh today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Breh births was 1971 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Breh. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Breh. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1971
5 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1971 SSA rank
#4,996
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Breh: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Breh 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 Breh during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Breh
The name Breh is believed to have originated in the ancient Sumerian civilization, which flourished in the region of modern-day Iraq between the 4th and 3rd millennia BC. It is derived from the Sumerian word "brehhu," which means "one who brings light" or "illuminator."
In Sumerian mythology, Breh was the name of a minor deity associated with the dawn and the rising sun. This deity was often depicted as a radiant figure carrying a torch or a staff adorned with celestial symbols.
The earliest known written record of the name Breh dates back to around 2500 BC, where it appears in a cuneiform inscription found in the ruins of the ancient city of Uruk. This inscription lists the names of various deities and their respective domains, with Breh being mentioned as the "bringer of the morning light."
Throughout the centuries, the name Breh has been borne by several notable individuals. One of the earliest known figures was Breh-Anu, a high priest who served in the temple of the Sumerian city-state of Lagash during the 24th century BC.
In the 8th century BC, Breh-Shamash was a renowned astronomer and mathematician from the city of Babylon. He is credited with developing advanced methods for predicting celestial events and is believed to have contributed to the development of the Babylonian calendar.
During the medieval period, Breh al-Din al-Masri was a prominent Islamic scholar and philosopher who lived in Cairo, Egypt, in the 12th century. He wrote extensively on various subjects, including mathematics, astronomy, and theology.
In more recent times, Breh Mbengue was a Senegalese writer and activist who played a significant role in the country's independence movement in the mid-20th century. He was born in 1923 and passed away in 2007.
Another notable figure was Breh Hanson, an American civil rights leader and advocate for equal education. He was born in 1925 and played a crucial role in the desegregation of public schools in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s.
While the name Breh has its roots in ancient Sumerian culture, it has transcended its origins and been adopted by various cultures and societies throughout history, serving as a testament to the enduring influence of this ancient civilization.
People
Breh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Breh 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
Breh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Breh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Breh 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Breh a common name?
We classify Breh as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Breh most popular?
The single biggest year for Breh was 1971, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Breh is about 50 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 Breh in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Breh a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Breh 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 Breh still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Breh 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 Breh 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 have the name Breh?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Breh, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.