Bret
Bret is a male given name, which derives from Breton, a person from Brittany in France.
Meaning & Origin of Bret
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Bret is a male given name, which derives from Breton, a person from Brittany in France.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Bret
Bret first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1926, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1959, when 1,839 Brets were born — ranking #170 that year. As of 2026, Bret ranks #4,205 for baby boys with 25 births, holding steady (+3%). In total, more than 30K Brets have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1920s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Bret
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Bret Anderson (born 1974), Canadian football player
- Bret Baier (born 1970), American journalist
- Bret Bergmark (born 1973), American mixed martial artist
- Bret Bielema (born 1970), American football coach
- Bret Blevins (born 1960), American comic book artist
- Bret Boone (born 1969), American baseball player
- Bret Cooper (born 1970), American football player
- Bret Easton Ellis (born 1964), American writer
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Bret
Phonetically similar names — useful when Bret is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bret
What does the name Bret mean?
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About the name Bret
Bret is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1926 and has accumulated 30K births in the dataset. Bret's peak popularity came in 1959 when it ranked #170. Use the chart and map above to compare Bret's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1959 →
- Names of the 1950s →
- Names starting with "B" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.