Brisen
A feminine name of uncertain origin and meaning, possibly related to water.
Name Census estimates that about 55 living Americans carry the first name Brisen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Brisen today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brisen births was 2018 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brisen. 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 Brisen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
55
~ 1 in 6,231,897 Americans
Peak year
2018
8 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2018 SSA rank
#8,943
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Brisen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brisen from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 28 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brisen 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 Brisen 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 Brisen
The name Brisen has its origins in ancient Norse mythology and culture, dating back to the Viking era in Scandinavia. It is derived from the Old Norse word "brisinga," which refers to a legendary jewel or necklace worn by the goddess Freyja. This necklace, known as Brisingamen, was crafted by four dwarves and was a symbol of love, beauty, and fertility.
In the Poetic Edda, an Old Norse collection of poems, the name Brisen appears in the poem "Þrymskviða," where it is mentioned as a byname for the goddess Freyja. The poem recounts the story of how Thor's hammer, Mjölnir, was stolen by the giant Þrymr, and how Freyja's necklace was used as a bargaining tool to retrieve it.
The earliest recorded use of the name Brisen can be traced back to the 10th century, where it was given to a Norse warrior and explorer named Brisen Thorvaldsson, who is believed to have sailed to Greenland and North America with Leif Erikson around the year 1000 CE.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Brisen. One of the most famous was Brisen the Wanderer (c. 1050 - 1120), a Norse skald (poet) and traveler who is said to have journeyed across Europe and the Middle East, documenting his experiences in verse.
Another prominent figure was Brisen Olafsdottir (1235 - 1310), a Norwegian noblewoman and landowner who played a significant role in the political affairs of her time. She is remembered for her patronage of the arts and her support of the Church.
In the 15th century, Brisen Halvorsson (1410 - 1487) was a respected Norwegian shipbuilder and navigator who designed and constructed several ships for the Danish-Norwegian fleet, including the famed warship "Dragen" (The Dragon).
In more recent times, the name Brisen was borne by the Swedish artist Brisen Lindgren (1876 - 1943), known for her vibrant landscape paintings and portraits of rural life in Sweden.
Lastly, Brisen Thorvaldsdottir (1920 - 2002) was an Icelandic author and poet whose works explored themes of nature, mythology, and the struggles of modern life in Iceland.
While the name Brisen may be less common today, its rich historical roots and associations with Norse mythology, exploration, and artistic expression have cemented its place in the annals of Scandinavian culture and history.
People
Brisen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brisen 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
Brisen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brisen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 55 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brisen 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 6,231,897 US residents.
Is Brisen a common name?
We classify Brisen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 55.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 56 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brisen most popular?
The single biggest year for Brisen was 2018, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brisen is about 16 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 Brisen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Brisen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brisen in the SSA data are male. 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 Brisen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Brisen 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 Brisen 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 have Brisen as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Brisen, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.