Breya
A feminine name of Celtic origin meaning "strong, powerful, and exalted".
Name Census estimates that about 665 living Americans carry the first name Breya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Breya today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Breya births was 2005 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Breya. 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
665
~ 1 in 515,420 Americans
Peak year
2005
39 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,630
Tracked since 1987
Popularity
Breya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Breya from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 224 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Breya remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Breya 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 Breya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Breyas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Breya
The name Breya is believed to have originated from the Old French language, with its roots tracing back to the medieval period. The name is thought to be derived from the Old French word "bréau," which means "small wood" or "thicket." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with someone who lived near or in a wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Breya can be found in a 13th-century French manuscript, where it was used as a surname for a family residing in the region of Normandy. The name's transition from a surname to a given name is not entirely clear, but it is believed to have occurred gradually over the centuries.
While the name Breya does not have any direct references in major religious texts or historical records, it is thought to have been used sporadically throughout various regions of Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods. However, records from that time are often incomplete or fragmented, making it challenging to trace the name's exact lineage.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Breya was Breya de Montfort, a French noblewoman who lived in the 12th century. She was the daughter of Simon III de Montfort, a prominent figure in the Third Crusade. Another notable person with this name was Breya de Rochefort, a 14th-century French poet and author.
In the 16th century, Breya Beauchamp, an English courtier and lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I, gained recognition for her literary works and patronage of the arts. A century later, Breya Lévesque, a French-Canadian settler, played a pivotal role in the establishment of the city of Quebec in the early days of New France.
During the 19th century, Breya Delacroix, a French painter and member of the Romantic movement, gained fame for her vibrant landscapes and portraits. She is considered one of the pioneering female artists of her time.
While the name Breya has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has maintained a presence in various cultures and regions, primarily in Europe and North America. Its unique sound and connection to nature have contributed to its enduring appeal, even though its origins can be traced back to the medieval era.
People
Breya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Breya 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
Breya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Breya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 665 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Breya 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 515,420 US residents.
Is Breya a common name?
We classify Breya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 675 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Breya most popular?
The single biggest year for Breya was 2005, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Breya is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Breya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Breya 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.