Brister
Of Scandinavian origin, meaning "one who bursts or breaks through".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Brister. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Brister today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brister births was 1918 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brister. 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 Brister. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1918
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1918 SSA rank
#4,252
Tracked since 1918
Popularity
Brister: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Brister 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 Brister during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Brister
The name Brister is believed to have originated from Old Norse, a North Germanic language spoken by the Scandinavian people during the Viking Age, which lasted from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries. It is thought to be derived from the Old Norse word "brista," which means "to burst" or "to break." This could suggest that the name was initially given to someone who was particularly strong or forceful.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brister can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, which are a collection of narratives written in Old Norse prose during the 13th and 14th centuries. In the Saga of Grettir the Strong, there is a character named Brister who is described as a powerful and formidable warrior.
During the Middle Ages, the name Brister was particularly prevalent in Scandinavia, especially in regions like Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. It was also not uncommon to find individuals with this name in areas of Britain and Ireland that were influenced by Norse settlers and Vikings.
One notable figure in history who bore the name Brister was Brister Bjornson, a Norwegian chieftain and landowner who lived in the late 10th century. He is mentioned in several historical records and is said to have played a significant role in the conflicts between the Norwegian King Olaf Tryggvason and the pagan leaders of the time.
Another individual of note was Brister Sigurdsson, a Swedish nobleman and military commander who lived during the 12th century. He is recorded as having led Swedish forces in several battles against the Danes and is credited with helping to secure the independence of Sweden from Danish rule.
In the 13th century, there was a Brister Magnusson, a Norwegian clergyman and scholar who served as the Bishop of Bergen from 1223 to 1245. He is known for his efforts in promoting education and literacy in Norway during his time as bishop.
Moving forward to the 15th century, there was Brister Olafsson, an Icelandic explorer and navigator who is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to set foot in North America, possibly reaching the coast of Newfoundland or Labrador before Christopher Columbus's famous voyage.
Finally, in the 16th century, there was Brister Jonsson, a Swedish farmer and landowner who is notable for being one of the earliest recorded individuals to use the surname "Brister" as a family name, indicating that the name had transitioned from being solely a given name to also being used as a surname.
People
Brister + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brister 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
Brister: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brister?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brister 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 - US residents.
Is Brister a common name?
We classify Brister as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brister most popular?
The single biggest year for Brister was 1918, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brister is about 0 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 Brister in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Brister a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brister 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 Brister still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Brister 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 Brister 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 common is the name Brister?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Brister on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.