Briellah
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly a variation of Briella.
Name Census estimates that about 86 living Americans carry the first name Briellah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Briellah today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Briellah births was 2013 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Briellah. 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 Briellah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
86
~ 1 in 3,985,516 Americans
Peak year
2013
11 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,734
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Briellah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Briellah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 68 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Briellah 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 Briellah 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 Briellah
The name Briellah is believed to have originated in the Celtic regions of ancient Britain and Ireland. It is thought to be derived from the Old Brythonic word "brig", meaning "high" or "exalted", and the Old Irish word "ellach", meaning "swan". Thus, the name Briellah could be interpreted as "exalted swan" or "high swan".
The earliest known historical reference to the name Briellah can be found in an ancient Welsh poem from the 6th century AD, where it is mentioned as the name of a beautiful princess. This suggests that the name was in use among the Celtic nobility during the early medieval period.
In the 9th century, a Briellah is recorded as being a renowned healer and herbalist in the Kingdom of Dál Riata, which spanned parts of modern-day Scotland and Northern Ireland. Her knowledge of medicinal plants and remedies was widely celebrated throughout the region.
During the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century, a noblewoman named Briellah de Montfort is mentioned in the Domesday Book as holding lands in Warwickshire. This indicates that the name had spread from its Celtic origins and was also used by Norman nobility at the time.
In the 13th century, a Briellah of Glastonbury was a renowned abbess and scholar who oversaw the expansion and enrichment of the Glastonbury Abbey library in Somerset, England. Her contributions to the preservation of ancient texts and manuscripts were significant.
In the 16th century, Briellah Fitzpatrick was an Irish chieftain's daughter who played a pivotal role in negotiating a peace treaty between rival clans in County Cavan, Ireland. Her diplomatic skills and wisdom were highly regarded.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals named Briellah throughout history. While the name has Celtic roots, it has been used across various cultures and regions over the centuries, reflecting its enduring appeal and meaning.
People
Briellah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Briellah 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
Briellah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Briellah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 86 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Briellah 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 3,985,516 US residents.
Is Briellah a common name?
We classify Briellah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 87 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Briellah most popular?
The single biggest year for Briellah was 2013, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Briellah is about 11 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 Briellah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Briellah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Briellah 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 Briellah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Briellah 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 Briellah 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 share the name Briellah?
Want to know how many people share the name Briellah? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.