Broch
An anglicized form of the Irish name Bruadhair meaning "sorrow, grief".
Name Census estimates that about 29 living Americans carry the first name Broch. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Broch today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Broch births was 1975 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Broch. 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 Broch. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
29
~ 1 in 11,819,115 Americans
Peak year
1975
5 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
1993 SSA rank
#8,871
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Broch: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Broch from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 10 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
Broch 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 Broch 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 Broch
The name Broch has its roots in the ancient Celtic culture, originating from the Brittonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken in Britain during the Iron Age and Roman period. It is believed to be derived from the Proto-Celtic word *brogos, meaning "badger" or "gray animal." This connection suggests that the name may have initially been given to individuals who possessed traits or characteristics associated with badgers, such as tenacity, fearlessness, or a grayish appearance.
In the early medieval period, the name Broch appeared in various forms across the Celtic regions of Britain and Brittany. Variations such as Broc, Broccos, and Brogus were found in old records and chronicles from the 5th to the 8th centuries. These variations likely emerged due to the evolution of the Celtic languages and the influence of other cultures that interacted with the Celts.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Broch can be found in the Annales Cambriae, a chronicle of Welsh history dating back to the 10th century. It refers to a Brittonic king named Brochfael, who ruled over the Kingdom of Powys in the 7th century. This historical figure highlights the presence and significance of the name among the Celtic nobility and rulers of the time.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Broch remained in use among the Celtic populations of Britain and Brittany. Notable individuals who bore this name include Broc de Fécamp (c. 1020-1084), a Norman nobleman and one of the companions of William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Another prominent figure was Broch Galeran (c. 1150-1220), a Breton knight and crusader who participated in the Third Crusade led by Richard the Lionheart.
In the early modern period, the name Broch continued to be found in various parts of Europe, although its usage became less common. One notable figure from this era was Brochus Stegmann (1551-1623), a German Lutheran theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.
While the name Broch is relatively rare in contemporary times, it still carries the legacy of its ancient Celtic origins and the historical figures who have borne it throughout the centuries.
People
Broch + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Broch 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
Broch: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Broch?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 29 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Broch 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 11,819,115 US residents.
Is Broch a common name?
We classify Broch as "Very Rare". It ranks above 46% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 30 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Broch most popular?
The single biggest year for Broch was 1975, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Broch is about 40 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 Broch in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Broch a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Broch 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 Broch still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Broch 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 Broch 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 Broch?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.