Bret

Last seen for girls in 2011 at #14,824 · #4,857 for boys in 2025, 20 births
Given to boys 99.2% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1959 · 1,839 births
Debut · boys
5 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
29,819
since 1926

Bret over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Bret has never cracked the top 100 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201959peak #170, 1959boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025—#4,85720
2024—#4,70121
2023—#4,00227
2022—#4,44223
2021—#4,49422
2020—#5,23517
2019—#4,63921
2018—#3,30134
2017—#4,33123
2016—#3,35833
2015—#3,36533
2014—#2,66145
2013—#2,89539
2012—#2,81142
2011#14,8246#1,92772
2010—#1,71389
2009—#1,63896
2008—#1,380123
2007#13,9247#1,464109
2006—#1,51999
2005#13,0107#1,093151
2004—#1,022160
2003—#956171
2002#12,1877#868189
2001—#714246
2000#10,7458#657274
1999#12,6886#580335
1998#9,2609#604305
1997#8,33410#614285
1996#7,13012#543350
1995#6,25714#519388
1994#5,01619#494414
1993#8,7199#507405
1992—#468463
1991—#432516
1990#12,9585#418546
1989#12,3625#398545
1988#7,11110#410487
1987#5,61313#365536
1986#5,45913#366509
1985#6,03111#365502
1984#10,4225#381458
1983#6,21210#352504
1982#9,2376#2171,098
1981#5,57112#342532
1980#10,3925#400410
1979—#359490
1978—#396381
1977—#385415
1976—#341505
1975—#359462
1974—#342509
1973—#322541
1972#8,2925#293628
1971#7,3886#284734
1970#6,3627#260871
1969—#264791
1968#7,0165#246841
1967—#243837
1966—#243860
1965—#274743
1964—#275786
1963—#274787
1962—#274787
1961—#284741
1960—#2231,242
1959—#1701,839
1958—#1871,514
1957—#556194
1956—#83181
1955—#76391
1954—#79582
1953—#96655
1952—#1,04448
1951—#1,48925
1950—#1,23234
1949—#1,46225
1948—#1,70319
1947—#1,39428
1946—#2,14312
1945—#2,24210
1944—#2,6338
1943—#2,18212
1942——
1941—#2,4919
1940—#2,32210
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1926—#4,2015
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First appearance
1926

The first year at least five boys were named Bret! It came in at #4,201, and was given to 5 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1926–1939, when fewer than 6 boys a year got the name.

Where Bret is popular in 1959

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedAKMaine: #134 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 887 boysMEVermont: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: #114 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 756 boysNHWashington: #88 for boys · 81 births · 1 in 389 boysWAIdaho: #49 for boys · 42 births · 1 in 181 boysIDMontana: #79 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 339 boysMTNorth Dakota: #208 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 1,513 boysNDMinnesota: #128 for boys · 46 births · 1 in 919 boysMNIllinois: #173 for boys · 92 births · 1 in 1,265 boysILWisconsin: #203 for boys · 19 births · 1 in 2,502 boysWIMichigan: #179 for boys · 68 births · 1 in 1,419 boysMINew York: #334 for boys · 40 births · 1 in 4,523 boysNYMassachusetts: #232 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 4,340 boysMARhode Island: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedRIOregon: #77 for boys · 56 births · 1 in 306 boysORNevada: #95 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 391 boysNVWyoming: #40 for boys · 22 births · 1 in 151 boysWYSouth Dakota: #102 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 507 boysSDIowa: #93 for boys · 62 births · 1 in 500 boysIAIndiana: #91 for boys · 114 births · 1 in 481 boysINOhio: #132 for boys · 133 births · 1 in 852 boysOHPennsylvania: #177 for boys · 70 births · 1 in 1,739 boysPANew Jersey: #235 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 2,666 boysNJConnecticut: #207 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 2,421 boysCTCalifornia: #129 for boys · 273 births · 1 in 658 boysCAUtah: #32 for boys · 86 births · 1 in 138 boysUTColorado: #73 for boys · 66 births · 1 in 323 boysCONebraska: #169 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 1,243 boysNEMissouri: #182 for boys · 40 births · 1 in 1,231 boysMOKentucky: #319 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 4,020 boysKYWest Virginia: #236 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 2,230 boysWVVirginia: #283 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 2,700 boysVAMaryland: #228 for boys · 15 births · 1 in 2,190 boysMDDelaware: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedDEArizona: #109 for boys · 37 births · 1 in 437 boysAZNew Mexico: #229 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 1,333 boysNMKansas: #100 for boys · 49 births · 1 in 485 boysKSArkansas: #254 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 1,959 boysARTennessee: #337 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 3,986 boysTNNorth Carolina: #530 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 10,529 boysNCSouth Carolina: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedDCOklahoma: #149 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 827 boysOKLouisiana: #193 for boys · 39 births · 1 in 1,093 boysLAMississippi: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedMSAlabama: #367 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 4,273 boysALGeorgia: #279 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 2,398 boysGAHawaii: #244 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 1,429 boysHITexas: #261 for boys · 80 births · 1 in 1,540 boysTXFlorida: #245 for boys · 30 births · 1 in 1,790 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Utah#32 · 1 in 138
  2. Wyoming#40 · 1 in 151
  3. Idaho#49 · 1 in 181
  4. Colorado#73 · 1 in 323
  5. Oregon#77 · 1 in 306

Best ever in a state: #25 in Utah, 1958.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Utah#32861 in 138
Wyoming#40221 in 151
Idaho#49421 in 181
Colorado#73661 in 323
Oregon#77561 in 306
Montana#79231 in 339
Washington#88811 in 389
Indiana#911141 in 481
Iowa#93621 in 500
Nevada#9571 in 391
Kansas#100491 in 485
South Dakota#102161 in 507
Arizona#109371 in 437
New Hampshire#11481 in 756
Minnesota#128461 in 919
California#1292731 in 658
Ohio#1321331 in 852
Maine#134121 in 887
Oklahoma#149291 in 827
Nebraska#169131 in 1,243
Illinois#173921 in 1,265
Pennsylvania#177701 in 1,739
Michigan#179681 in 1,419
Missouri#182401 in 1,231
Louisiana#193391 in 1,093
Wisconsin#203191 in 2,502
Connecticut#207111 in 2,421
North Dakota#20851 in 1,513
Maryland#228151 in 2,190
New Mexico#229101 in 1,333
Massachusetts#232131 in 4,340
New Jersey#235231 in 2,666
West Virginia#23691 in 2,230
Hawaii#24451 in 1,429
Florida#245301 in 1,790
Arkansas#254101 in 1,959
Texas#261801 in 1,540
Georgia#279201 in 2,398
Virginia#283161 in 2,700
Kentucky#31991 in 4,020
New York#334401 in 4,523
Tennessee#337101 in 3,986
Alabama#36791 in 4,273
North Carolina#53051 in 10,529
Alaska———
Delaware———
District of Columbia———
Mississippi———
Rhode Island———
South Carolina———
Vermont———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Bret
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 156 spots since 2024 (#4,701 → #4,857)
  • 378 spots since 2020 (#5,235 → #4,857)
  • 1,492 spots since 2015 (#3,365 → #4,857)
  • Biggest jump: 369 spots in 1958 (#556 → #187)
  • Biggest drop: 154 spots in 2002 (#714 → #868)
Rise & fade · boys
33 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1926
  • Peaked 1959 at #170 (1,839 births)
  • Births halved by 1961, 2 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 51 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 51 yrs · run 1953–2003
Share of babies · boys
1 in 1,161
  • Highest: 1 in 1,161 boys born in 1959 were named Bret (0.09%)
  • Latest: 1 in 85,404 boys born in 2025 (0.00%)
Era · boys
The 1960s
  • 28.2% of all boys named Bret (8,415) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1920s5#4,201 (1926)#4,201
1930s0——
1940s133#1,394 (1947)#2,064
1950s3,963#170 (1959)#803
1960s8,415#223 (1960)#260
1970s5,536#260 (1970)#334
1980s5,581#217 (1982)#360
1990s4,007#418 (1990)#518
2000s1,618#657 (2000)#1,131
2010s431#1,713 (2010)#3,100
2020s130#4,002 (2023)#4,622

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Bret in 1959

boys
#170
1,839 births · 1 in 1,161 boys

Top boys' names in 1959

  1. #1Michael85,294
  2. #2David83,977
  3. #3James78,648
  4. #4John76,446
  5. #5Robert74,542
  6. #6Mark56,945
  7. #7William51,386
  8. #8Richard47,202
  9. #9Thomas40,296
  10. #10Steven33,597
  11. #170Bret1,839
More about 1959

boys

2,134,518 boys got a published name in 1959; 1 in 1,161 of them was named Bret, which outranked 96.3% of the 4,572 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 29.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Bret
  1. #167Lloyd1,872
  2. #168Stuart1,848
  3. #169Herbert1,844
  4. #170Bret1,839
  5. #171Tyrone1,821
  6. #172Vernon1,790
  7. #173Lonnie1,776
Biggest movers since 1958
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,208Efrem#3,033 → #825
  2. ↑ 901Darin#1,677 → #776
  3. ↑ 871Yancy#1,557 → #686
  4. ↑ 708Raynard#1,677 → #969
  5. ↑ 644Darrin#1,396 → #752
Fallers
  1. ↓ 307Jace#761 → #1,068
  2. ↓ 241Otha#915 → #1,156
  3. ↓ 234Cheryl#994 → #1,228
  4. ↓ 230Dann#969 → #1,199
  5. ↓ 227Carnell#777 → #1,004

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1959 →