Briget
A feminine name of Irish origin meaning "exalted" or "power".
Name Census estimates that about 452 living Americans carry the first name Briget. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Briget today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Briget births was 1974 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Briget. 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
452
~ 1 in 758,306 Americans
Peak year
1974
22 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2012 SSA rank
#15,300
Tracked since 1957
Popularity
Briget: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Briget from the 1950s through to the 2010s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 156 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Briget 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 Briget during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Brigets live
Origin
Meaning and history of Briget
The name Briget is derived from the Old Celtic word "brig" or "bri," meaning "strength" or "virtue." It is believed to have originated from the Celtic and Gaulish regions of ancient Europe, particularly in what is now Ireland, Scotland, and parts of France and England.
The name gained popularity in the early Christian era, particularly due to its association with Saint Brigid of Kildare, one of the most revered female saints in Ireland. Born around 451 AD, Saint Brigid is celebrated for her piety, compassion, and miracles, and is often referred to as the "Mary of the Gael."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Briget can be found in the medieval Irish text, the "Book of Armagh," which dates back to the 9th century AD. This text contains accounts of Saint Brigid's life and her role in establishing numerous monasteries and churches in Ireland.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Briget or its variations. One of the most famous was Briget of Sweden (1303-1373), a mystic and founder of the Brigittine Order of nuns. Another was Briget Plantagenet (1480-1536), a daughter of King Edward IV of England.
In the realm of literature, the name Briget appears in works such as the 14th-century English poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," where a character named Lady Briget is mentioned. Additionally, Briget Bardot (1934-), the famous French actress and animal rights activist, has contributed to the name's recognition.
Other notable historical figures with the name Briget include Briget Howard (1590-1675), an English Catholic martyr; Briget Tryon (1756-1828), an American Revolutionary War heroine; and Briget Benger (1775-1827), an English novelist and biographer.
People
Briget + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Briget 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
Briget: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Briget?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 452 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Briget 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 758,306 US residents.
Is Briget a common name?
We classify Briget as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 500 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Briget most popular?
The single biggest year for Briget was 1974, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Briget is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Briget a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Briget 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.