Brian

Last seen for girls in 2015 at #16,419 · #339 for boys in 2025, 979 births
Given to boys 99.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1972 · 36,306 births
Debut · boys
5 births
In top 100 · boys
63 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
1,173,735
since 1909

Brian over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201994peak #8, 1972boys
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—#339979
2024—#3021,116
2023—#3171,049
2022—#2891,180
2021—#2881,188
2020—#2711,261
2019—#2471,479
2018—#2351,631
2017—#2161,778
2016—#2041,984
2015#16,4195#1882,218
2014—#1682,536
2013#16,5475#1502,645
2012#9,71111#1412,820
2011#16,7645#1223,250
2010#12,2768#1013,766
2009#15,2426#944,658
2008#11,5999#875,263
2007#5,89523#816,075
2006#12,4208#726,511
2005#5,26624#636,920
2004#3,49042#597,333
2003#5,79520#597,672
2002#5,89719#518,082
2001#6,61916#468,303
2000#4,07930#438,958
1999#5,21920#438,808
1998#4,36625#419,146
1997#4,37024#379,739
1996#3,72329#3610,476
1995#2,42153#3610,991
1994#3,16836#3711,648
1993#2,72544#3412,544
1992#2,83042#3114,107
1991#2,55048#3014,915
1990#2,40251#2716,935
1989#1,87370#2418,106
1988#1,196126#2219,532
1987#1,162126#2020,362
1986#1,057142#2021,027
1985#1,071137#1823,069
1984#979147#1724,720
1983#947156#1426,050
1982#1,005147#1425,829
1981#1,009144#1426,583
1980#884173#1228,715
1979#931158#1028,659
1978#858171#929,432
1977#829181#832,492
1976#870155#830,517
1975#878151#830,578
1974#912138#834,449
1973#820160#835,686
1972#796171#836,306
1971#886150#932,624
1970#891148#831,917
1969#932130#931,669
1968#1,013105#1029,922
1967#1,002104#1028,646
1966#1,11989#1427,253
1965#1,27471#1924,552
1964#1,41963#2024,167
1963#1,50855#2024,133
1962#1,42960#2023,221
1961#1,80740#2022,566
1960#1,54252#2022,000
1959#1,76539#2220,737
1958#1,76238#2419,279
1957#2,16826#2617,519
1956#2,62219#3214,666
1955#2,28023#4010,109
1954#3,32512#488,078
1953#3,68710#536,665
1952#3,04013#645,741
1951#4,0118#755,101
1950#5,3015#794,441
1949#4,6736#863,854
1948#4,6516#953,358
1947#3,06112#953,450
1946#3,6658#1032,585
1945#4,5565#1131,989
1944—#1161,954
1943#3,04010#1201,950
1942—#1391,523
1941—#1531,123
1940—#1631,007
1939—#176808
1938—#204609
1937—#228519
1936—#289344
1935—#347254
1934—#402187
1933—#450150
1932—#538119
1931—#61693
1930—#64590
1929—#557112
1928—#603104
1927—#75475
1926—#1,01047
1925—#87159
1924—#1,16938
1923—#1,21335
1922—#1,30831
1921—#1,25234
1920—#1,30031
1919—#2,15214
1918—#2,39812
1917—#2,09114
1916—#1,77117
1915—#1,50521
1914—#1,97511
1913—#1,44114
1912—#2,2696
1911—#1,3877
1910——
1909—#1,4405
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First appearance
1909

The first year at least five boys were named Brian! It came in at #1,440, and was given to 5 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1909–1910, when fewer than 6 boys a year got the name.

Where Brian is popular in 1994

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #38 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 130 boysAKMaine: #69 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 239 boysMEVermont: #57 for boys · 15 births · 1 in 189 boysVTNew Hampshire: #35 for boys · 61 births · 1 in 107 boysNHWashington: #41 for boys · 191 births · 1 in 177 boysWAIdaho: #63 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 224 boysIDMontana: #58 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 203 boysMTNorth Dakota: #66 for boys · 17 births · 1 in 233 boysNDMinnesota: #56 for boys · 141 births · 1 in 206 boysMNIllinois: #29 for boys · 638 births · 1 in 132 boysILWisconsin: #49 for boys · 138 births · 1 in 219 boysWIMichigan: #39 for boys · 362 births · 1 in 172 boysMINew York: #25 for boys · 1,202 births · 1 in 105 boysNYMassachusetts: #25 for boys · 431 births · 1 in 90 boysMARhode Island: #27 for boys · 64 births · 1 in 93 boysRIOregon: #45 for boys · 101 births · 1 in 189 boysORNevada: #39 for boys · 60 births · 1 in 159 boysNVWyoming: #67 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 208 boysWYSouth Dakota: #75 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 274 boysSDIowa: #60 for boys · 78 births · 1 in 217 boysIAIndiana: #44 for boys · 196 births · 1 in 192 boysINOhio: #35 for boys · 548 births · 1 in 134 boysOHPennsylvania: #30 for boys · 609 births · 1 in 120 boysPANew Jersey: #19 for boys · 684 births · 1 in 74 boysNJConnecticut: #22 for boys · 256 births · 1 in 77 boysCTCalifornia: #32 for boys · 1,860 births · 1 in 143 boysCAUtah: #71 for boys · 70 births · 1 in 249 boysUTColorado: #46 for boys · 116 births · 1 in 210 boysCONebraska: #64 for boys · 44 births · 1 in 227 boysNEMissouri: #45 for boys · 200 births · 1 in 174 boysMOKentucky: #54 for boys · 114 births · 1 in 206 boysKYWest Virginia: #44 for boys · 65 births · 1 in 152 boysWVVirginia: #33 for boys · 291 births · 1 in 141 boysVAMaryland: #29 for boys · 260 births · 1 in 116 boysMDDelaware: #40 for boys · 32 births · 1 in 130 boysDEArizona: #46 for boys · 167 births · 1 in 191 boysAZNew Mexico: #58 for boys · 47 births · 1 in 237 boysNMKansas: #66 for boys · 61 births · 1 in 254 boysKSArkansas: #64 for boys · 59 births · 1 in 235 boysARTennessee: #51 for boys · 165 births · 1 in 210 boysTNNorth Carolina: #48 for boys · 219 births · 1 in 204 boysNCSouth Carolina: #44 for boys · 107 births · 1 in 193 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #32 for boys · 45 births · 1 in 140 boysDCOklahoma: #58 for boys · 86 births · 1 in 224 boysOKLouisiana: #48 for boys · 137 births · 1 in 205 boysLAMississippi: #59 for boys · 61 births · 1 in 257 boysMSAlabama: #50 for boys · 117 births · 1 in 215 boysALGeorgia: #43 for boys · 250 births · 1 in 192 boysGAHawaii: #49 for boys · 32 births · 1 in 199 boysHITexas: #59 for boys · 579 births · 1 in 265 boysTXFlorida: #35 for boys · 539 births · 1 in 159 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. New Jersey#19 · 1 in 74
  2. Connecticut#22 · 1 in 77
  3. Massachusetts#25 · 1 in 90
  4. New York#25 · 1 in 105
  5. Rhode Island#27 · 1 in 93

Best ever in a state: #2 in Pennsylvania, 1973.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
New Jersey#196841 in 74
Connecticut#222561 in 77
Massachusetts#254311 in 90
New York#251,2021 in 105
Rhode Island#27641 in 93
Illinois#296381 in 132
Maryland#292601 in 116
Pennsylvania#306091 in 120
California#321,8601 in 143
District of Columbia#32451 in 140
Virginia#332911 in 141
Florida#355391 in 159
New Hampshire#35611 in 107
Ohio#355481 in 134
Alaska#38291 in 130
Michigan#393621 in 172
Nevada#39601 in 159
Delaware#40321 in 130
Washington#411911 in 177
Georgia#432501 in 192
Indiana#441961 in 192
South Carolina#441071 in 193
West Virginia#44651 in 152
Missouri#452001 in 174
Oregon#451011 in 189
Arizona#461671 in 191
Colorado#461161 in 210
Louisiana#481371 in 205
North Carolina#482191 in 204
Hawaii#49321 in 199
Wisconsin#491381 in 219
Alabama#501171 in 215
Tennessee#511651 in 210
Kentucky#541141 in 206
Minnesota#561411 in 206
Vermont#57151 in 189
Montana#58211 in 203
New Mexico#58471 in 237
Oklahoma#58861 in 224
Mississippi#59611 in 257
Texas#595791 in 265
Iowa#60781 in 217
Idaho#63311 in 224
Arkansas#64591 in 235
Nebraska#64441 in 227
Kansas#66611 in 254
North Dakota#66171 in 233
Wyoming#67101 in 208
Maine#69261 in 239
Utah#71701 in 249
South Dakota#75161 in 274

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 Brian
Momentum · boys
Falling
  • 37 spots since 2024 (#302 → #339)
  • 68 spots since 2020 (#271 → #339)
  • 151 spots since 2015 (#188 → #339)
  • Biggest jump: 298 spots in 1925 (#1,169 → #871)
  • Biggest drop: 139 spots in 1926 (#871 → #1,010)
Rise & fade · boys
63 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1909
  • Peaked 1972 at #8 (36,306 births)
  • Births halved by 1989, 17 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 10 for 13 yrs
  • Top 10: 13 yrs · run 1967–1979
  • Top 100: 63 yrs · run 1947–2009
  • Top 1,000: 100 yrs · run 1927–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 44
  • Highest: 1 in 44 boys born in 1973 were named Brian (2.3%)
  • Latest: 1 in 1,745 boys born in 2025 (0.06%)
  • Its best rank, #8 in 1972, was only 1 in 45 (2.2%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1970s
  • 27.5% of all boys named Brian (322,660) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1900s5#1,440 (1909)#1,440
1910s116#1,387 (1911)#1,888
1920s566#557 (1929)#1,004
1930s3,173#176 (1939)#390
1940s22,793#86 (1949)#118
1950s112,336#22 (1959)#46
1960s258,129#9 (1969)#16
1970s322,660#8 (1972)#8
1980s233,993#12 (1980)#18
1990s119,309#27 (1990)#35
2000s69,775#43 (2000)#66
2010s24,107#101 (2010)#177
2020s6,773#271 (2020)#301

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.

Brian in 1994

girls
#3,168
36 births · 1 in 49,604 girls
boys
#37
11,648 births · 1 in 166 boys

Top girls' names in 1994

  1. #1Jessica32,122
  2. #2Ashley30,281
  3. #3Emily24,154
  4. #4Samantha22,824
  5. #5Sarah22,299
  6. #6Taylor20,734
  7. #7Brittany18,900
  8. #8Amanda18,718
  9. #9Elizabeth16,786
  10. #10Megan16,580
  11. #3,168Brian36

Top boys' names in 1994

  1. #1Michael44,477
  2. #2Christopher34,807
  3. #3Matthew33,654
  4. #4Joshua31,374
  5. #5Tyler30,482
  6. #6Brandon29,492
  7. #7Jacob29,417
  8. #8Daniel28,065
  9. #9Nicholas27,770
  10. #10Andrew26,019
  11. #37Brian11,648
More about 1994

girls

1,785,753 girls got a published name in 1994; 1 in 49,604 of them was named Brian, which outranked 79.9% of the 15,759 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 12.5% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Brian
  1. #3,098Toby37
  2. #3,098Vashti37
  3. #3,098Yenifer37
  4. #3,168Brian36
  5. #3,168Alaya36
  6. #3,168Alethea36
  7. #3,168Araseli36
  8. #3,234Adara35
  9. #3,234Aidan35
  10. #3,234Aidee35

Tied with 65 names at #3,168; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1993
Risers
  1. ↑ 4,523Nohely#5,419 → #896
  2. ↑ 4,322Aaliyah#4,524 → #202
  3. ↑ 2,306Zana#3,108 → #802
  4. ↑ 1,711Aliyah#2,068 → #357
  5. ↑ 1,430Zhane#2,012 → #582
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,015Coraima#875 → #1,890
  2. ↓ 799Kalene#929 → #1,728
  3. ↓ 656Deyanira#938 → #1,594
  4. ↓ 577Crysta#968 → #1,545
  5. ↓ 562Hilary#647 → #1,209

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

boys

1,932,031 boys got a published name in 1994; 1 in 166 of them was named Brian, which outranked 99.6% of the 10,245 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.3% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Brian
  1. #34Steven12,090
  2. #35Christian11,987
  3. #36Jose11,731
  4. #37Brian11,648
  5. #38Adam11,023
  6. #39Timothy10,767
  7. #40Nathan10,386
Biggest movers since 1993
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,574Tyrin#2,509 → #935
  2. ↑ 714River#1,638 → #924
  3. ↑ 472Bryton#1,460 → #988
  4. ↑ 463Kahlil#1,444 → #981
  5. ↑ 446Jayden#1,295 → #849
Fallers
  1. ↓ 551Garth#965 → #1,516
  2. ↓ 364Jordy#828 → #1,192
  3. ↓ 342Montel#889 → #1,231
  4. ↓ 289Darrel#889 → #1,178
  5. ↓ 245Deante#859 → #1,104

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

See the top 100 for 1994 →