Briea
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly a variant of Bria.
Name Census estimates that about 159 living Americans carry the first name Briea. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Briea today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Briea births was 1992 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Briea. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Briea with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
159
~ 1 in 2,155,688 Americans
Peak year
1992
12 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2020 SSA rank
#11,267
Tracked since 1982
Census
Briea in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 175 people with the first name Briea, which placed it at #41,669 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#41,669
National first-name rank
People counted
175
175 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
46.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Briea
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Briea is White at 46.9%. The next largest groups are Black (38.3%) and Two or More Races (8.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Briea described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Briea at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.9% · 82
- Black or African American38.3% · 67
- Two or more races8.6% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Popularity
Briea: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Briea from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 73 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Briea 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 Briea during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Briea
The name Briea is a unique and intriguing moniker with a fascinating history that spans across multiple cultures and time periods. Its roots can be traced back to the ancient Celtic language, where it was derived from the word "bri," meaning "hill" or "elevated land." This connection to the natural world resonates with the reverence for nature that was deeply ingrained in Celtic traditions.
In the early medieval era, the name Briea gained popularity among the Gaelic-speaking communities of Ireland and Scotland. It was often associated with strong, independent women who embodied the spirit of their ancestral homelands. One notable figure from this era was Briea of Connacht, a celebrated warrior and poet who lived in the 7th century and whose works celebrated the valor and resilience of her clan.
As the centuries passed, the name Briea transcended geographical boundaries and found its way into various European cultures. In the 12th century, a French noblewoman named Briea de Montfort gained renown for her philanthropic endeavors and her dedication to improving the lives of the less fortunate. Her legacy continued to inspire generations of women who carried her name.
The Renaissance period saw the emergence of several notable figures bearing the name Briea. Among them was Briea Veneziano, an Italian painter and sculptor whose works adorned the grand palaces of Venice during the 15th century. Her intricate frescoes and sculptures were celebrated for their exquisite detail and artistic mastery.
In the realm of literature, the name Briea found its place in the works of the esteemed English playwright William Shakespeare. In his play "The Taming of the Shrew," a character named Briea appeared as a spirited and sharp-witted woman, defying societal norms and challenging traditional gender roles.
Fast forward to the 19th century, and the name Briea gained prominence in the world of science and exploration. Briea Cousteau (1810-1876), a French marine biologist and oceanographer, made groundbreaking discoveries in the study of marine life and advocated for the preservation of our oceans.
These are but a few examples of the remarkable individuals who have carried the name Briea throughout history, each leaving an indelible mark on their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human culture and experience.
People
Briea + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Briea 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
Briea: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Briea?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 159 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Briea 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 2,155,688 US residents.
Is Briea a common name?
We classify Briea as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 163 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Briea most popular?
The single biggest year for Briea was 1992, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Briea is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Briea in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 175 people with the name Briea, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #41,669 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Briea in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Briea?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Briea appears almost entirely female. Of the 171 people counted with this name, 99.4% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Briea?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Briea is White at 46.9%. The next largest groups are Black (38.3%) and Two or More Races (8.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Briea most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Briea in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.9% (82 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Briea in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Briea a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Briea 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.
Is Briea still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Briea 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 Briea 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.
How many people are called Briea?
You can see how many Americans are named Briea on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.