Bridan
A masculine name potentially derived from the Irish word "bride" meaning noble or exalted.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Bridan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bridan today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bridan births was 2007 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bridan. 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 Bridan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2007
5 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2007 SSA rank
#12,617
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Bridan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Bridan 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 Bridan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Bridan
The name Bridan is believed to have its origins in the ancient Celtic language, dating back to the early medieval period in the British Isles. It is thought to be derived from the Celtic words "bri" meaning "hill" and "dan" meaning "brave" or "bold". Thus, the name Bridan may have originally signified a courageous or valiant person from the hills or highlands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bridan can be found in the Welsh Triads, a collection of traditional tales and sayings from the Middle Ages. In these texts, a figure named Bridan ap Llyr is mentioned as one of the three notable battle-leaders who fought against the invading Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century.
In the 9th century, an Irish monk and scholar known as Bridan of Kildare achieved considerable fame for his writings on theology and philosophy. He is believed to have been born around 800 AD and spent much of his life at the monastery in Kildare, Ireland.
During the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century, a Norman knight named Bridan de Montfort is recorded as having fought alongside William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. He was later granted lands in Warwickshire for his service.
In the 13th century, a Welsh poet and bard named Bridan Brenhin composed several influential works that helped preserve the Welsh language and culture during a period of English dominance. He is considered one of the most important figures in the history of Welsh literature.
Another notable bearer of the name was Bridan O'Toole, an Irish chieftain and ruler of the O'Toole clan in County Wicklow, Ireland, who lived during the 15th century. He is remembered for his fierce resistance against the English colonization of Ireland and his efforts to maintain the independence of his clan's territories.
People
Bridan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bridan 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
Bridan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bridan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bridan 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 Bridan a common name?
We classify Bridan 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 Bridan most popular?
The single biggest year for Bridan was 2007, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bridan is about 19 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 Bridan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bridan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bridan 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 Bridan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bridan 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 Bridan 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 many people are named Bridan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.