Briona
A feminine name of Irish origin meaning "high, exalted".
Name Census estimates that about 1,638 living Americans carry the first name Briona. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Briona today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Briona births was 1993 (122 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Briona. 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
1.6K
~ 1 in 209,252 Americans
Peak year
1993
122 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2018 SSA rank
#10,720
Tracked since 1979
Popularity
Briona: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Briona from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 910 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
Briona 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 Briona during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Brionas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 19 states and territories. Texas, Pennsylvania, Maryland recorded the most babies named Briona, while Delaware, New Jersey, South Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 33 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Briona
The given name Briona has its origins in the Celtic languages, tracing back to ancient Britain and Ireland. It is believed to be derived from the Old Irish word "brígh," meaning strength or vigor. The name gained popularity during the early medieval period, particularly in regions where Celtic culture flourished.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Briona can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1021, a woman named Briona Ní Mhaoil Chonaire is mentioned as the wife of a prominent chieftain. This historical reference suggests that the name was in use among the Gaelic nobility of the time.
During the Middle Ages, the name Briona was also found in various religious texts and hagiographies, often associated with female saints and abbesses. One notable example is Saint Briona of Rouen, who lived in the 7th century and founded a convent in Normandy, France.
In the 12th century, a Scottish noblewoman named Briona de Brus was recorded as the daughter of Robert de Brus, a prominent figure in the Anglo-Norman nobility. This historical figure is often cited as an early example of the name's use in Scotland.
As the centuries passed, the name Briona continued to be used, albeit with varying degrees of popularity. In the 16th century, a Welsh poet and translator named Briona Sion was known for her works in the Welsh language.
Another notable figure bearing the name Briona was Briona O'Flaherty, an Irish chieftain's daughter who lived in the late 16th century. She is remembered for her involvement in the Gaelic resistance against English conquest in Ireland.
In more recent times, the name Briona has gained renewed interest, particularly in the English-speaking world. However, its historical roots and associations with Celtic cultures and medieval figures remain an integral part of its legacy.
People
Briona + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Briona 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
Briona: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Briona?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,638 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Briona 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 209,252 US residents.
Is Briona a common name?
We classify Briona as "Rare". It ranks above 92.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,683 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Briona most popular?
The single biggest year for Briona was 1993, when 122 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Briona is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Briona a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Briona 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.