Brynlei
Brynlei combines the Welsh elements "bryn" (hill) and "leu" (light, bright).
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the first name Brynlei. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Brynlei today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brynlei births was 2017 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brynlei. 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
139
~ 1 in 2,465,859 Americans
Peak year
2017
12 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,021
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Brynlei: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brynlei from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 96 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Brynlei remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brynlei 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 Brynlei 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 Brynlei
The name Brynlei is a relatively modern invention, likely created by combining elements from different languages and cultures. It does not have a clear origin or historical roots in any particular language or cultural tradition.
One possible explanation for the name Brynlei is that it combines the Welsh word "bryn" meaning "hill" or "mound" with the English suffix "-lei" which could be derived from names like Ashley or Kelley. However, there is no evidence of this name being used in Wales or any other Celtic region historically.
Another theory is that Brynlei is a combination of the Scandinavian name Bryn, which means "flat ground" or "field", and the English word "lei" which refers to a Hawaiian flower garland. This blending of different linguistic elements is common in modern name creation but does not reflect any specific cultural or historical context.
Despite its lack of clear historical origins, a few individuals have been recorded with the name Brynlei over the past century or so. Brynlei Thamrin was an Indonesian actress and singer active in the 1950s and 1960s. Brynlei Paulson was a Norwegian physicist who made contributions to the study of quantum mechanics in the early 20th century, living from 1892 to 1969.
In literature, Brynlei Harrington is a character in the 1998 novel "The Midnight Club" by Christopher Pike. Brynlei Markham was a British explorer and author who wrote about her travels in Africa in the 1930s, born in 1892 and passing away in 1986. Brynlei Washburn was an American artist known for her abstract expressionist paintings, active from the 1940s until her death in 2012.
Overall, while the name Brynlei may have an appealing sound or unique construction, it does not have a rich historical background or cultural significance. It appears to be a modern coinage without deep etymological roots or recorded usage prior to the 20th century.
People
Brynlei + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brynlei 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
Brynlei: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brynlei?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 139 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brynlei 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 2,465,859 US residents.
Is Brynlei a common name?
We classify Brynlei as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 140 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brynlei most popular?
The single biggest year for Brynlei was 2017, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brynlei is about 9 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 Brynlei in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Brynlei a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brynlei 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 Brynlei still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Brynlei 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 Brynlei 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 have the name Brynlei?
See how many people share the name Brynlei on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.