Brunilda
A feminine name of Germanic origin meaning "battle armour" or "shield".
Name Census estimates that about 816 living Americans carry the first name Brunilda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Brunilda today is around 63 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brunilda births was 1959 (50 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brunilda. 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
816
~ 1 in 420,042 Americans
Peak year
1959
50 babies that year
Average age
63
years old
1983 SSA rank
#7,393
Tracked since 1939
Popularity
Brunilda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brunilda from the 1930s through to the 1980s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 402 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brunilda 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 Brunilda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Brunildas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. New York, New Jersey, Illinois recorded the most babies named Brunilda, while Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 145 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Brunilda
The name Brunilda has its roots in the Germanic languages, originating from the combination of two Old Germanic words: "brun" meaning "brown" or "dark," and "hild" meaning "battle" or "combat." This name emerged during the early medieval period, particularly among the Germanic tribes that inhabited regions of present-day Germany, Netherlands, and parts of France.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brunilda can be found in the Nibelungenlied, an epic poem from the 13th century that recounts the story of the Burgundian queen Brunhild. In this tale, Brunhild is portrayed as a powerful and formidable woman, known for her strength and martial prowess.
The name also appeared in other literary works from the Middle Ages, such as the Icelandic sagas and the Völsunga saga, where Brunhild (or Brynhildr) is depicted as a valkyrie, a mythological female figure associated with battle and warfare.
One of the most famous historical figures bearing the name Brunilda was Brunhilda of Austrasia (545-613), a Visigothic princess who became the queen consort of the Merovingian king Sigebert I. She played a significant role in the political intrigues of the Frankish kingdoms during the latter part of the 6th century.
Another notable Brunilda was Brunhilda of Austrasia (628-662), the daughter of the aforementioned Brunhilda and King Sigebert II. She was a Frankish regent and the mother of King Childebert the Adopted.
In the 9th century, Brunilda of Saxony (854-890) was a Carolingian noblewoman and the wife of King Louis the Younger of East Francia.
During the 11th century, Brunilda of Barcelona (1024-1085) was a Countess of Barcelona and Girona, known for her involvement in the political affairs of the region.
The name Brunilda also appears in the history of the Holy Roman Empire, with Brunilda of Swabia (1035-1109), who was the wife of Emperor Henry IV and played a role in the Investiture Controversy between the Empire and the Papacy.
While the name Brunilda was popular among the Germanic and Frankish nobility during the medieval period, its usage declined in later centuries. However, it has maintained a presence in various European cultures, with variations such as Brunhilde, Brunilda, and Brunilda appearing throughout history.
People
Brunilda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brunilda 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
Brunilda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brunilda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 816 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brunilda 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 420,042 US residents.
Is Brunilda a common name?
We classify Brunilda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,057 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brunilda most popular?
The single biggest year for Brunilda was 1959, when 50 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brunilda is about 63 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Brunilda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brunilda 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.