Briah
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "creation" or "offspring".
Name Census estimates that about 769 living Americans carry the first name Briah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Briah today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Briah births was 1997 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Briah. 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
769
~ 1 in 445,714 Americans
Peak year
1997
35 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,638
Tracked since 1982
Popularity
Briah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Briah 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 244 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Briah 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 Briah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Briahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Briah
The name Briah is thought to have its origins in the Hebrew language, derived from the word "bri'ah" which translates to "creation" or "thing created." This name is often associated with the Jewish faith and culture, although its exact time of origin is uncertain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Briah can be found in the Kabbalah, a school of thought in Jewish mysticism. In the Kabbalah, Briah is the second of the four spiritual realms, representing the level of creation where divine emanations take on a more concrete form.
In the 13th century, a prominent Jewish philosopher and mystic named Briah ben Avraham Av-Beit-Din was known for his contributions to the study of Kabbalah. Born in Spain around 1215 CE, he wrote extensively on the symbolism and principles of the Kabbalah, cementing the name Briah's connection to this esoteric tradition.
Another notable figure who bore the name Briah was Briah ben Moshe, a 16th-century Jewish scholar from Safed, in present-day Israel. He was renowned for his expertise in Torah commentary and Talmudic studies, further solidifying the name's association with Jewish intellectual and spiritual pursuits.
In the 17th century, Briah ben Yitzchak Ashkenazi, a prominent rabbi and kabbalist from Poland, gained recognition for his writings on Jewish law and mysticism. His works, such as the "Shaar Hagemul," explored the connections between Kabbalah and halakhah (Jewish law).
In more recent times, Briah Cohen (1903-1982), a renowned Israeli artist and sculptor, brought further recognition to the name. Her works, which often depicted biblical and historical themes, were celebrated for their intricate detail and powerful symbolism.
While the name Briah has its roots in Hebrew and Jewish traditions, it has gained popularity beyond these cultural boundaries, particularly in recent decades. Its association with the concept of creation and its unique sound have contributed to its appeal as a given name across various cultures and communities.
People
Briah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Briah 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
Briah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Briah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 769 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Briah 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 445,714 US residents.
Is Briah a common name?
We classify Briah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 782 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Briah most popular?
The single biggest year for Briah was 1997, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Briah is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Briah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Briah 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.