Brylen
A feminine name of Old Irish and Old Norse origins meaning "strong stream".
Name Census estimates that about 682 living Americans carry the first name Brylen. It is a predominantly male name (92.7% of registrations). The average person named Brylen today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brylen births was 2011 (54 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brylen. 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
682
~ 1 in 502,572 Americans
Peak year
2011
54 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,694
Tracked since 1998
Gender
Gender distribution for Brylen
Brylen leans heavily male at 92.7% of total registrations, but 50 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Brylen as a male name
- Ranked #3,694 in 2024
- 30 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2012 (48 births)
Brylen as a female name
- Ranked #14,657 in 2016
- 6 female births in 2016
- Peak: 2009 (8 births)
Popularity
Brylen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brylen from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 436 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brylen 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 Brylen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Brylens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Texas, Alabama, Indiana recorded the most babies named Brylen, while Louisiana, Indiana, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Brylen
The name Brylen is believed to have its origins in the ancient Celtic language spoken by the Britons, a group of people who inhabited the southern parts of the island of Great Britain during the Iron Age and Roman period. It is thought to be derived from the Proto-Celtic word "brig," which means "high" or "elevated," and the suffix "-len," which is a diminutive form indicating "little."
The earliest known record of the name Brylen can be traced back to the 6th century AD, where it appears in the genealogical records of the Welsh kingdom of Gwynedd. In these records, a nobleman named Brylen ap Cyngen is mentioned as a member of the royal lineage.
During the Middle Ages, the name Brylen gained popularity among the Welsh aristocracy and was often associated with courage and strength. One notable figure who bore this name was Brylen ap Rhys, a Welsh prince who lived in the 12th century and was known for his military exploits against the Norman invaders.
In the 13th century, a famous Welsh bard and poet named Brylen Fardd is recorded as having composed several poetic works that celebrated the deeds of Welsh heroes and warriors. His works played a significant role in preserving and promoting the Welsh language and culture during a time of English dominance.
As the centuries passed, the name Brylen became less common, but it continued to appear sporadically throughout history. In the 16th century, a Brylen Jones is recorded as being a member of the Tudor court of King Henry VIII, serving as a squire to one of the king's courtiers.
Another notable figure with the name Brylen was a Scottish soldier named Brylen MacKenzie, who fought in the Jacobite Rising of 1745. He was known for his bravery and loyalty to the Stuart cause and is mentioned in several historical accounts of the time.
While the name Brylen may have fallen out of widespread use in more recent times, it remains a unique and historically significant name rooted in the ancient Celtic cultures of the British Isles.
People
Brylen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brylen 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
Brylen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brylen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 682 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brylen 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 502,572 US residents.
Is Brylen a common name?
We classify Brylen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 688 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brylen most popular?
The single biggest year for Brylen was 2011, when 54 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brylen is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Brylen a male name?
Yes, 92.7% of people registered as Brylen 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.
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.