Brehanna
Small slender and graceful feminine name of English origin.
Name Census estimates that about 172 living Americans carry the first name Brehanna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Brehanna today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brehanna births was 1995 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brehanna. 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
172
~ 1 in 1,992,758 Americans
Peak year
1995
15 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2010 SSA rank
#17,468
Tracked since 1989
Popularity
Brehanna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brehanna from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 92 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brehanna 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 Brehanna 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 Brehanna
The name Brehanna is believed to have originated in Ireland, although its exact roots are unclear. Some sources suggest it may be a variant of the Irish name Briana, which is derived from the Gaelic word "bruigh" meaning "hill" or "hostage."
One theory is that Brehanna is a combination of the Irish prefix "bre," meaning "high" or "noble," and the name Hannah, which has Hebrew origins and means "grace." This would give Brehanna a meaning along the lines of "noble grace" or "high grace."
In ancient Irish mythology, there are references to a figure named Brehanna, who was said to be a fairy queen or goddess associated with fertility and nature. However, there is little concrete historical evidence to support the existence of this mythical figure.
The earliest recorded use of the name Brehanna dates back to the 16th century, when it appeared in Irish genealogical records. One notable bearer of the name was Brehanna O'Donnell, who lived in the late 16th century and was a member of the powerful O'Donnell clan in County Donegal, Ireland.
Another historical figure with the name Brehanna was Brehanna O'Brien, who lived in the 17th century and was a member of the influential O'Brien family in County Clare, Ireland. She was known for her involvement in local politics and her patronage of the arts.
In the 18th century, a woman named Brehanna Fitzgerald was recorded as having lived in County Limerick, Ireland. She was a landowner and philanthropist who supported several charitable causes in her community.
Moving into the 19th century, Brehanna O'Connor was a notable figure in Irish literature. Born in 1825, she was a poet and author who wrote extensively about Irish culture and folklore.
Finally, in the 20th century, Brehanna MacNeill was a prominent Irish politician and activist. Born in 1908, she was a member of the Irish Republican Army and played a significant role in the Irish independence movement.
While the name Brehanna remains relatively uncommon, it has a rich history and cultural significance in Ireland, with its roots stretching back to ancient mythology and carrying connotations of nobility, grace, and a connection to the natural world.
People
Brehanna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brehanna 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
Brehanna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brehanna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 172 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brehanna 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 1,992,758 US residents.
Is Brehanna a common name?
We classify Brehanna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 176 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brehanna most popular?
The single biggest year for Brehanna was 1995, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brehanna is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Brehanna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brehanna 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.
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.