Bryona
A feminine name possibly derived from the French word for bryony vine.
Name Census estimates that about 177 living Americans carry the first name Bryona. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Bryona today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bryona births was 1999 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bryona. 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
177
~ 1 in 1,936,465 Americans
Peak year
1999
15 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2008 SSA rank
#11,765
Tracked since 1990
Popularity
Bryona: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bryona from the 1990s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 92 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bryona 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 Bryona 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 Bryona
The name Bryona has its origins traced back to ancient Greece, where it was derived from the word "bryon," meaning "moss" or "seaweed." This connection to nature and the plant world is a recurring theme throughout the history of this name.
In the 5th century BCE, the Greek philosopher Aristotle mentioned a species of moss called "bryonia" in his works on botany. This is believed to be one of the earliest recorded instances of a word resembling the name Bryona.
During the Middle Ages, the name Bryona appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, often associated with herbalists and healers who worked with medicinal plants. In the 12th century, a nun named Bryona was renowned for her knowledge of herbal remedies and her work in tending to the sick in her monastery.
The Renaissance period saw the rise of notable individuals bearing the name Bryona. One such figure was Bryona Vasari (1511-1574), an Italian botanist and artist who created intricate illustrations of plants and flowers. Her work was highly influential in the field of botanical illustration.
In the 17th century, Bryona Culpeper (1616-1654) was an English herbalist and author who wrote extensively on the medicinal properties of plants. Her book, "The Complete Herbal," became a widely-used reference work in its time.
Moving into the 19th century, Bryona Nightingale (1820-1910) was a British nurse and social reformer who played a significant role in the establishment of modern nursing practices. She is remembered for her pioneering work in improving sanitary conditions in hospitals during the Crimean War.
Another noteworthy figure was Bryona Blackwell (1844-1924), an American businesswoman and entrepreneur. She founded the Bryona Blackwell Company, which produced and marketed a popular line of herbal remedies and tonics.
Throughout history, the name Bryona has been associated with individuals who have made contributions in fields related to nature, healing, and botany. Its connection to the natural world and the study of plants has been a consistent thread woven into the tapestry of this name's heritage.
People
Bryona + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bryona 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
Bryona: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bryona?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 177 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bryona 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 1,936,465 US residents.
Is Bryona a common name?
We classify Bryona as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 181 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bryona most popular?
The single biggest year for Bryona was 1999, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bryona is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bryona a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bryona 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.