Brettlee
A combination of two masculine names, Brett and Lee.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Brettlee. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Brettlee today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brettlee births was 2013 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brettlee. 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 Brettlee. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2013
5 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2013 SSA rank
#12,409
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Brettlee: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Brettlee 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 Brettlee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Brettlee
The given name Brettlee is a unique and intriguing combination of two distinct names - Brett and Lee. Its origins can be traced back to the British Isles and the Germanic tribes that settled in the region.
The first part of the name, Brett, is believed to have originated from the Old English word "bret," which means "a Briton" or "a descendent of the Britons." It was commonly used as a surname in medieval England, particularly among those with Celtic ancestry. The name Brett may also have roots in the Old Welsh word "bryth," meaning "spotted" or "speckled."
The second part of the name, Lee, is an English name derived from the Old English word "leah," which means "a meadow" or "a clearing in a forest." It was often used as a place name or a surname for those who lived in or near a meadow or clearing.
While the combined name Brettlee is relatively uncommon, there are a few notable historical figures who bore these names separately. One of the earliest recorded instances is Saint Brett, a 6th-century Welsh monk and abbot who founded several monasteries in Brittany, France. Another prominent figure was Bretwalda, a title given to several Anglo-Saxon kings who ruled over large parts of Britain in the 7th and 8th centuries.
As for the name Lee, one of the earliest known bearers was Sir Richard Lee, an English knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Another notable individual was Robert E. Lee, the renowned Confederate general during the American Civil War (1807-1870).
Other historical figures with the name Brett include Brett the Pict, a legendary king of the Picts in Scotland during the 6th century, and Brett Weston, an American photographer renowned for his work in the 20th century (1911-1993).
Individuals with the name Lee include Lee Teng-hui, the first directly elected President of Taiwan (1923-2020), and Lee Kuan Yew, the founding Prime Minister of Singapore (1923-2015).
While the combined name Brettlee is rare, it carries a rich tapestry of history and cultural influences from the British Isles and the Germanic tribes that settled in the region. Its unique blend of names reflects a sense of belonging to both the natural world and the ancient Celtic and Anglo-Saxon heritage.
People
Brettlee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brettlee 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
Brettlee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brettlee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brettlee 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 Brettlee a common name?
We classify Brettlee 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 Brettlee most popular?
The single biggest year for Brettlee was 2013, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brettlee is about 13 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 Brettlee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Brettlee a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brettlee 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 Brettlee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Brettlee 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 Brettlee 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 Brettlee?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Brettlee on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.