Brihanna
A feminine name of Scottish origin likely meaning "exalted one".
Name Census estimates that about 811 living Americans carry the first name Brihanna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Brihanna today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brihanna births was 2009 (118 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brihanna. 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
811
~ 1 in 422,632 Americans
Peak year
2009
118 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,655
Tracked since 1990
Popularity
Brihanna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brihanna from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 414 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
Brihanna 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 Brihanna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Brihannas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Brihanna, while Tennessee, North Carolina, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 33 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Brihanna
The name Brihanna is believed to have its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language, originating from the Indian subcontinent several centuries before the Common Era. It is derived from the words "bri" meaning "shining" or "radiant" and "hanna" meaning "grace" or "charm". Together, the name Brihanna can be interpreted as "radiant grace" or "shining charm".
The earliest recorded use of the name can be traced back to Hindu religious texts and scriptures from around the 5th century BCE. In these ancient texts, Brihanna was often used as a name for female deities or goddesses, symbolizing their divine beauty and grace. It was also a popular name among the royal and aristocratic classes of ancient India, as it represented the ideals of physical and spiritual beauty that were highly valued at the time.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Brihanna was a renowned Indian poet and scholar who lived in the 3rd century BCE. She was renowned for her contributions to Sanskrit literature and her works were widely studied and celebrated in academic circles of the time.
In the 7th century CE, a Buddhist nun named Brihanna became a prominent figure in the spread of Buddhism across Southeast Asia. She travelled extensively throughout the region, establishing monasteries and teaching the Buddhist principles of compassion and non-violence. Her teachings and writings were instrumental in shaping the Buddhist traditions of many Southeast Asian countries.
During the medieval period, the name Brihanna was also found in Persian and Arabic texts, suggesting that it had spread westward along trade routes and cultural exchange. One notable figure from this era was Brihanna al-Hakim, a 10th century Arab philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the fields of geometry and optics.
As the name Brihanna spread across different cultures and regions, it underwent various spelling and pronunciation changes. In Europe, variants such as Brianna, Briana, and Brienne became more common, while in parts of Africa and the Caribbean, the name took on forms like Brianna or Brianna.
Throughout history, there have been several other notable individuals who have carried the name Brihanna, including a 16th century Italian Renaissance painter, a 19th century British explorer and naturalist, and a 20th century French novelist and poet.
People
Brihanna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brihanna 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
Brihanna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brihanna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 811 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brihanna 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 422,632 US residents.
Is Brihanna a common name?
We classify Brihanna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 820 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brihanna most popular?
The single biggest year for Brihanna was 2009, when 118 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brihanna is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Brihanna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brihanna 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.