Brynna
A feminine given name of Welsh origin meaning "hill" or "high breast".
Name Census estimates that about 3,027 living Americans carry the first name Brynna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Brynna today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brynna births was 2011 (171 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brynna. 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
3.0K
~ 1 in 113,232 Americans
Peak year
2011
171 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,811
Tracked since 1973
Popularity
Brynna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brynna from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 1,198 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brynna 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 Brynna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Brynnas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 29 states and territories. Texas, California, Indiana recorded the most babies named Brynna, while Oregon, Nevada, Montana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 42 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Brynna
The name Brynna is of Welsh origin, derived from the Welsh word "bryn," which means "hill" or "mound." It is believed to have originated in the early medieval period, around the 5th to 7th centuries, when the Welsh language was firmly established in the region known as Wales.
Brynna was likely used as a descriptive name, referring to someone who lived near or on a hill or mound. It may have also been used as a place name, denoting a settlement or location situated on a hill or elevated area. The name's roots can be traced back to the Celtic languages spoken in ancient Britain before the Anglo-Saxon invasions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brynna can be found in a 9th-century Welsh chronicle called "Annales Cambriae." The entry mentions a person named "Brynna ap Cynan," who was a Welsh prince and ruler of the Kingdom of Gwynedd in the late 9th century.
Another notable figure bearing the name Brynna was Brynna Gwynfor Jones (1835-1899), a Welsh minister and writer who was instrumental in the establishment of the University of Wales. He played a significant role in promoting Welsh culture and education during the 19th century.
In the 12th century, there was a Welsh poet and bard named Brynna Llwyd, who is known for his poems and compositions that celebrated the Welsh language and traditions. His works were widely circulated and helped preserve Welsh literary heritage during a period of cultural upheaval.
During the 16th century, a Welsh noblewoman named Brynna Vaughan (1510-1558) gained recognition for her support of the English Reformation and her efforts to promote Protestant teachings in Wales. She was a influential figure in the religious and political landscape of the time.
Another notable bearer of the name was Brynna Garth (1870-1946), a Welsh suffragette and women's rights activist who campaigned for equal voting rights and gender equality in the early 20th century. She was a prominent figure in the Welsh suffrage movement and played a pivotal role in advancing women's rights in Wales.
The name Brynna has a rich historical background, deeply rooted in the Welsh language and culture. It has been borne by notable figures throughout history, from rulers and poets to activists and intellectuals, making it a name with a strong cultural significance and legacy.
People
Brynna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brynna 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
Brynna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brynna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,027 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brynna 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 113,232 US residents.
Is Brynna a common name?
We classify Brynna as "Rare". It ranks above 95.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,082 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brynna most popular?
The single biggest year for Brynna was 2011, when 171 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brynna is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Brynna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brynna 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.