Breslin
An Irish name possibly derived from a Gaelic word meaning "strife" or "insurrection".
Name Census estimates that about 313 living Americans carry the first name Breslin. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 52.1% of registrations being female. The average person named Breslin today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Breslin births was 2014 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Breslin. 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
313
~ 1 in 1,095,062 Americans
Peak year
2014
34 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2022 SSA rank
#12,347
Tracked since 2006
Gender
Gender distribution for Breslin
Breslin is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 315 total registrations, 151 (47.9%) were male and 164 (52.1%) were female.
Breslin as a male name
- Ranked #12,627 in 2022
- 5 male births in 2022
- Peak: 2014 (20 births)
Breslin as a female name
- Ranked #12,347 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2015 (20 births)
Popularity
Breslin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Breslin 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 225 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
Breslin 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 Breslin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Breslins live
Origin
Meaning and history of Breslin
The name Breslin is a diminutive form of the Irish surname Bressie or Bressy, which is derived from the Gaelic word "bres" meaning "prince" or "prosperous one". This name has its origins in ancient Celtic culture and is believed to have been used as early as the 5th century AD.
As a given name, Breslin has been recorded in various Irish historical records and manuscripts throughout the Middle Ages. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where it mentions a Breslin O'Donnell, a notable figure from the 14th century.
In the 16th century, a Breslin O'Reilly is mentioned in the Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland as being a prominent leader in County Cavan. Another notable bearer of the name was Breslin O'Malley, a 17th-century Irish chieftain and seafarer from County Mayo, who was known for his exploits along the western coast of Ireland.
Moving into the 18th century, Breslin Fallon was a celebrated Irish poet and bard from County Roscommon, known for his compositions in the Irish language. In the 19th century, Breslin Fitzpatrick was a prominent Irish nationalist and member of the Young Ireland movement, who played a role in the Irish Rebellion of 1848.
More recently, one of the most famous individuals with the name Breslin was the American author and journalist Jimmy Breslin (1928-2017), known for his gritty and insightful writings about life in New York City. Another noteworthy bearer of the name was the Irish actor and director Dermot Breslin (1939-2020), who had a successful career on stage and screen.
While the name Breslin has a rich historical background rooted in Irish culture, it has also gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries, where it is often used as a given name or surname.
People
Breslin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Breslin 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
Breslin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Breslin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 313 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Breslin 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 1,095,062 US residents.
Is Breslin a common name?
We classify Breslin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 315 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Breslin most popular?
The single biggest year for Breslin was 2014, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Breslin is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Breslin a female name?
Yes, 52.1% of people registered as Breslin 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.