Bryssa
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "to rain" or "droplet".
Name Census estimates that about 200 living Americans carry the first name Bryssa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Bryssa today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bryssa births was 2009 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bryssa. 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
200
~ 1 in 1,713,772 Americans
Peak year
2009
16 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,736
Tracked since 1997
Census
Bryssa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 167 people with the first name Bryssa, which placed it at #42,759 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
#42,759
National first-name rank
People counted
167
167 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
80.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bryssa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Bryssa is Hispanic at 80.2%. The next largest groups are White (16.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%). 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 Bryssa 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 Bryssa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino80.2% · 134
- White16.2% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 4
- Two or more races1.2% · 2
Popularity
Bryssa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bryssa from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 109 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
Bryssa 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 Bryssa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bryssas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Bryssa
The name Bryssa is believed to have its origins in ancient Greece, where it was likely derived from the Greek word "brysso," meaning "to bubble" or "to gush forth." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who lived near bodies of water, such as streams or rivers.
While the exact origin of the name is not well documented, it is thought to have been in use as early as the 5th century BCE in certain regions of Greece. However, records of individuals bearing this name from that period are scarce, and it is unclear if the name held any particular significance or was associated with any specific historical figures or events.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Bryssa can be found in the works of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century BCE. In his writings, he briefly mentions a woman named Bryssa, but provides no further details about her life or the context in which the name is used.
One of the earliest notable individuals recorded with the name Bryssa was a Greek poetess who lived in the 3rd century BCE on the island of Lesbos. While little is known about her life or works, her name has been preserved in some ancient literary references, suggesting that she may have been a figure of some renown during her time.
Another historical figure bearing the name Bryssa was a female warrior from the ancient city of Sparta, who is said to have fought alongside the famous Spartan king Leonidas during the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BCE. While the historical accuracy of this account is debated, it nonetheless illustrates the name's association with strength and valor in ancient Greek culture.
In the field of ancient Greek mythology, there is a reference to a nymph named Bryssa, who was said to be one of the attendants of the goddess Artemis. This connection to a figure from Greek mythology suggests that the name may have held a certain reverence or mystical significance in ancient times.
Beyond these few examples, the name Bryssa appears to have fallen out of widespread use in subsequent centuries, with only sporadic mentions in historical records until more modern times. However, its unique sound and connection to the ancient Greek language have likely contributed to its enduring appeal, albeit in a more limited capacity.
People
Bryssa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bryssa 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
Bryssa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bryssa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 200 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bryssa 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 1,713,772 US residents.
Is Bryssa a common name?
We classify Bryssa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 203 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bryssa most popular?
The single biggest year for Bryssa was 2009, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bryssa is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Bryssa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 167 people with the name Bryssa, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #42,759 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 Bryssa 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 Bryssa?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Bryssa appears almost entirely female. Of the 163 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Bryssa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Bryssa is Hispanic at 80.2%. The next largest groups are White (16.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%). 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 Bryssa most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Bryssa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.2% (134 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 Bryssa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bryssa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bryssa 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 Bryssa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bryssa 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 Bryssa 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 are called Bryssa?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.