Briseida
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly Greek, meaning "daughter of sadness".
Name Census estimates that about 2,589 living Americans carry the first name Briseida. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Briseida today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Briseida births was 2005 (199 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Briseida. 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
2.6K
~ 1 in 132,389 Americans
Peak year
2005
199 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,170
Tracked since 1979
Popularity
Briseida: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Briseida from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 1,133 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Briseida 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 Briseida during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Briseidas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. California, Texas, Arizona recorded the most babies named Briseida, while Virginia, Oregon, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 131 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Briseida
The name Briseida has its origins in Greek mythology and literature. It is a variant of the name Briseis, who was a prominent figure in Homer's epic poem, the Iliad. This ancient Greek text, believed to have been composed around the 8th century BC, tells the story of the Trojan War.
Briseis was a beautiful maiden from the city of Lyrnessus, located in modern-day Turkey. During the Trojan War, she was captured by the Greek warrior Achilles and became his concubine. However, Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek forces, later took Briseis from Achilles, leading to a dispute between the two heroes that had significant consequences in the war's outcome.
The name Briseida likely emerged as a variant spelling or pronunciation of Briseis in different regions and languages over time. It has been used across various cultures and time periods, although its popularity has varied.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Briseida was Briseida de Nicomedia, a Byzantine noblewoman who lived in the 6th century AD. She was the wife of the Byzantine general Belisarius and played a significant role in the military campaigns of the Byzantine Empire under the reign of Justinian I.
In the 16th century, Briseida Covarrubias was a Spanish poet and writer from Toledo, Spain. She was known for her poetic works, which explored themes of love, religion, and the female experience.
During the 17th century, Briseida Caracciolo was an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts. She was a member of the influential Caracciolo family in Naples and is known for her support of artists and intellectuals during the Baroque period.
In the 19th century, Briseida Antonia Gagliuffi was an Italian painter and sculptor from Sicily. She was one of the few female artists of her time who achieved recognition for her works, which included portraits, religious scenes, and allegorical paintings.
Another notable figure with the name Briseida was Briseida Dávila, a Mexican artist and writer from the early 20th century. She was part of the Stridentist movement, a avant-garde literary and artistic movement that gained prominence in Mexico during the 1920s.
While the name Briseida has its roots in ancient Greek literature and mythology, it has been adopted and adapted by various cultures throughout history, with individuals bearing this name making contributions in fields such as art, literature, and nobility.
People
Briseida + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Briseida 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
Briseida: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Briseida?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,589 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Briseida 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 132,389 US residents.
Is Briseida a common name?
We classify Briseida as "Rare". It ranks above 94.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,634 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Briseida most popular?
The single biggest year for Briseida was 2005, when 199 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Briseida is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Briseida a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Briseida 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.