Brita
A feminine name of Old Norse origin meaning "noble woman".
Name Census estimates that about 967 living Americans carry the first name Brita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Brita today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brita births was 1981 (41 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brita. 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
967
~ 1 in 354,451 Americans
Peak year
1981
41 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
2021 SSA rank
#15,672
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Brita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brita from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 262 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brita 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 Brita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Britas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Minnesota, California, Washington recorded the most babies named Brita, while Pennsylvania, Michigan, Washington recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 25 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Brita
The name Brita originated from the Old Norse language and has its roots in the Scandinavian countries of Northern Europe. It is a feminine form of the name Brite, which means "bright" or "shining." The name gained popularity during the Viking Age, which spanned from the late 8th century to the late 11th century.
In ancient Norse mythology, Brita was associated with the goddess Brynhildr, a valkyrie who was known for her radiant beauty and fierce warrior spirit. The name was often given to girls born during the summer months when the days were longest and the sunlight was at its brightest.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Brita can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of medieval literary works that documented the lives and adventures of Norse settlers in Iceland. The name appeared in the Laxdæla Saga, written around the 13th century, where a character named Brita Thorvaldsdottir played a pivotal role in the story.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Brita. One of the most famous was Brita of Sweden (c. 1180-1246), a Swedish princess and the daughter of King Sverker II. She was known for her piety and charitable works, and is revered as a saint in the Catholic Church.
Another prominent figure was Brita Ellqvist (1621-1687), a Swedish woman who was accused of witchcraft during the infamous Torsåkers witch trials. Despite being tortured and imprisoned, she maintained her innocence and was eventually released.
In the realm of literature, Brita Paulson (1916-2000) was a Swedish author and playwright who wrote several acclaimed works, including the novel "The Beloved" and the play "The Night Mother."
Brita Zackari (1858-1948) was a Swedish opera singer and vocal teacher who gained international recognition for her performances in the operas of Richard Wagner and other composers.
Finally, Brita Jönsson (1910-2003) was a Swedish athlete who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, where she won a silver medal in the women's javelin throw event.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have carried the name Brita, a name that has stood the test of time and continues to be used in various parts of the world.
People
Brita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brita 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
Brita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 967 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brita 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 354,451 US residents.
Is Brita a common name?
We classify Brita as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,097 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brita most popular?
The single biggest year for Brita was 1981, when 41 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brita is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Brita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brita 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.