Bryn
Bryn is a given name of Welsh origin. Census information recorded 2 in 1851, 4 in 1861, 5 in 1871 and 8 in 1881, none being from Wales. When Liberal politician, John Roberts of Bryn Adda, Bangor, became MP for Caernarvonshire in 1885, he adopted Bryn as a first name after the name of his home, to avoid confusion with another John who was already a MP.
- Welsh
- English
Meaning & Origin of Bryn
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Bryn is a given name of Welsh origin. Census information recorded 2 in 1851, 4 in 1861, 5 in 1871 and 8 in 1881, none being from Wales. When Liberal politician, John Roberts of Bryn Adda, Bangor, became MP for Caernarvonshire in 1885, he adopted Bryn as a first name after the name of his home, to avoid confusion with another John who was already a MP.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Welsh
- English
The Story of Bryn
As a girl name
Bryn first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1949, with 9 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2011: 370 births, good for #744 nationwide. About 32% of every Bryn on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Bryn ranks #2,250 for girls with 83 births, falling sharply (-34%). All told, over 8K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1940s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Bryn as a boy name dates back to 1947, when 8 babies received it. 1990 was its biggest year on record, with 45 newborns named Bryn — #1,755 in the national rankings. About 22% of every Bryn on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Bryn ranks #6,080 for boys with 14 births, holding steady (-1%). All told, over 1K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1940s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Bryn
Phonetically similar names — useful when Bryn 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 Bryn
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Is Bryn a unisex name?
What names go well with Bryn?
About the name Bryn
Bryn is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1949 and has accumulated 8K births in the dataset. Bryn's peak popularity came in 2011 when it ranked #744. Use the chart and map above to compare Bryn's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2011 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "B" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.