Brixen
A variation of the German place name Bressanone/Brixen.
Name Census estimates that about 32 living Americans carry the first name Brixen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Brixen today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brixen births was 2020 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brixen. 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 Brixen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
32
~ 1 in 10,711,073 Americans
Peak year
2020
10 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2021 SSA rank
#7,684
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Brixen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brixen from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 20 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
Brixen 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 Brixen 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 Brixen
Brixen is a unique and intriguing given name with a rich history dating back to medieval times. Its origins can be traced to the German language, where it was derived from the name of the town of Brixen in South Tyrol, Italy. This town itself was named after the Brixen River, which flows nearby.
The name Brixen is believed to have its roots in the Germanic word "brix," meaning "bridge" or "crossing." This connection to a river and a bridge suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived near or worked on bridges or river crossings.
In the Middle Ages, the town of Brixen was an important ecclesiastical center, with a prominent cathedral and a powerful prince-bishopric. It is possible that the name Brixen gained popularity among the clergy and nobility associated with this religious and political hub.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Brixen was Brixius of Tours, a 5th-century bishop and saint in what is now France. His name was likely derived from the Latin version of Brixen, "Brixia."
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Brixen. Brixius of Arras (c. 1030 - 1115) was a Flemish monk and theologian who played a significant role in the Investiture Controversy between the Church and the Holy Roman Empire.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Brixen von Altheim (1240 - 1312), a German knight and military commander who fought in the Crusades and was renowned for his bravery and leadership.
In the 15th century, Brixen Kröllwitz (1412 - 1479) was a German painter and sculptor who contributed to the artistic renaissance in Central Europe. His works adorned churches and cathedrals throughout the region.
More recently, Brixen Holzinger (1889 - 1968) was an Austrian mountaineer and explorer who led several expeditions to the Himalayas and made significant contributions to the study of high-altitude physiology.
While the name Brixen may not be as common today as it once was, it remains a distinctive and historically significant name with a rich heritage rooted in medieval Europe.
People
Brixen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brixen 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
Brixen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brixen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 32 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brixen 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 10,711,073 US residents.
Is Brixen a common name?
We classify Brixen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 47.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 32 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brixen most popular?
The single biggest year for Brixen was 2020, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brixen is about 7 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 Brixen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Brixen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brixen 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 Brixen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Brixen 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 Brixen 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 are called Brixen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.