Brynlee
A feminine name of American origin, a blend of "Bryn" and "Lee".
Name Census estimates that about 20,808 living Americans carry the first name Brynlee. It sits at #229 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Brynlee today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brynlee births was 2019 (1,582 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brynlee. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Brynlee with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Brynlee is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 9 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
21K
~ 1 in 16,472 Americans
Peak year
2019
1,582 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2021 SSA rank
#229
Tracked since 1995
Census
Brynlee in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 12,751 people with the first name Brynlee, which placed it at #2,107 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#2,107
National first-name rank
People counted
13K
12,751 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
4.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
88.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brynlee
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Brynlee is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (4.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Brynlee described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Brynlee at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 11,280
- Two or more races4.9% · 628
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 573
- Black or African American1.1% · 137
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 110
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 23
Gender
Gender distribution for Brynlee
Out of the 20,961 babies given the name Brynlee since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Brynlee as a male name
- Ranked #10,999 in 2021
- 6 male births in 2021
- Peak: 2021 (6 births)
Brynlee as a female name
- Ranked #229 in 2024
- 1,342 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2019 (1,577 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Brynlee appears almost entirely female. Of the 12,747 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Brynlee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brynlee 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 12,207 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Brynlee remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brynlee 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 Brynlee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Brynlees live
The SSA's state-level files cover 48 states and territories. Texas, Utah, Ohio recorded the most babies named Brynlee, while Vermont, Alaska, Connecticut recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 422 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Brynlee
The name Brynlee has its origins in the Welsh language and culture, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a combination of two Welsh words: "bryn," meaning "hill" or "mound," and "llee," meaning "place" or "spot." Together, the name can be interpreted as "a place on a hill."
The earliest recorded instances of the name Brynlee can be traced back to the 13th century, when it was used as a place name in various regions of Wales. Over time, it evolved into a given name, particularly popular among Welsh families with ties to the countryside.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Brynlee was a Welsh nobleman, Brynlee ap Rhys (1220-1285), who played a significant role in the Welsh resistance against English rule during the 13th century. He was a prominent figure in the battles against King Edward I and is remembered for his bravery and leadership.
Another notable figure in history with the name Brynlee was Brynlee Gwynedd (1550-1620), a Welsh poet and bard who composed numerous works celebrating the rich cultural heritage of Wales. His poetry was widely acclaimed and helped preserve the Welsh language and traditions during a period of significant English influence.
In the 17th century, Brynlee Jones (1620-1682) was a respected Welsh minister and theologian. He was known for his powerful sermons and his efforts to promote education and literacy among the Welsh people. His writings and teachings had a lasting impact on the religious and intellectual landscape of Wales.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Brynlee Davies (1845-1912) was a prominent Welsh industrialist and philanthropist. He made significant contributions to the development of the coal mining industry in South Wales and used his wealth to support various charitable causes, including the establishment of schools and libraries in his local community.
In more recent times, Brynlee Evans (1920-2005) was a celebrated Welsh artist known for her vibrant landscapes and portraits. Her work captured the beauty and spirit of the Welsh countryside and earned her recognition both within Wales and internationally.
While the name Brynlee has deep roots in Welsh culture and history, it has also gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries. Its unique blend of Welsh heritage and modern appeal has made it an increasingly attractive choice for parents seeking a distinctive and meaningful name for their children.
People
Brynlee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brynlee 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
Brynlee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brynlee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 20,808 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brynlee 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 16,472 US residents.
Is Brynlee a common name?
We classify Brynlee as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 20,961 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brynlee most popular?
The single biggest year for Brynlee was 2019, when 1,582 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brynlee is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Brynlee in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 12,751 people with the name Brynlee, or 4.22 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,107 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Brynlee in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Brynlee?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Brynlee appears almost entirely female. Of the 12,747 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Brynlee?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Brynlee is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (4.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Brynlee most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Brynlee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (11,280 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Brynlee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Brynlee a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Brynlee 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.
Is Brynlee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Brynlee 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 Brynlee 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.
How many people share the name Brynlee?
You can see how many people have the name Brynlee on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.