boys' name ★ peaked 1986

Brett

Meaning A unisex given name transferred from the surname Gender Boy · 2% girls Rank 2025 #1,382 Trend ↓ Falling 32%

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.

Rank 2025
#1,382
among boys · ↓324 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
144
named Brett · -35% vs 2024
How common
1 in 12,843
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1986
4,904 babies
All-time total
162,513
#217 all-time among boys
First recorded
1926
in Social Security records

Brett popularity over time

162,513 babies have been named Brett since 1926, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.751.52.25318801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – 10 10 1 – #4,032
1930s – 38 38 4 +280% #2,303
1940s – 547 547 55 +1339% #564
1950s 109 7,255 7,364 736 +1246% #154
1960s 296 25,835 26,131 2,613 +255% #94
1970s 658 28,922 29,580 2,958 +13% #80
1980s 1,050 41,289 42,339 4,234 +43% #69
1990s 777 35,422 36,199 3,620 -15% #84
2000s 278 14,659 14,937 1,494 -59% #163
2010s 140 3,947 4,087 409 -73% #389
2020s (to 2025) 96 1,185 1,281 214 -48% #925

Where Brett is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 124 0.07 outside top 500
2027 117 0.07 outside top 500
2028 111 0.07 outside top 500
2029 107 0.06 outside top 500
2030 103 0.06 outside top 500

Where Brett is most popular

Boys named Brett per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.109 per 1,000. Strongest in Louisiana, Missouri, and North Carolina.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Brett born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Louisiana 25 0.244 +124%
Missouri 28 0.202 +85%
North Carolina 48 0.188 +72%
Wisconsin 21 0.177 +62%
Mississippi 10 0.176 +61%
Pennsylvania 40 0.151 +38%
Indiana 20 0.125 +14%
Minnesota 15 0.122 +12%
New York 51 0.118 +8%
Oklahoma 10 0.113 ≈ national
Florida 53 0.112 ≈ national
Kentucky 11 0.110 ≈ national
Ohio 26 0.098 -10%
Arkansas 6 0.095 -13%
New Jersey 19 0.094 -14%
Texas 82 0.093 -15%
Alabama 10 0.091 -16%
Georgia 23 0.091 -17%
Virginia 16 0.084 -23%
Illinois 20 0.078 -28%
California 68 0.074 -32%
Kansas 5 0.073 -33%
Tennessee 11 0.061 -44%
Colorado 6 0.046 -57%
Massachusetts 6 0.044 -60%
Arizona 7 0.043 -61%
Michigan 6 0.029 -73%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Brett

Brett is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,382 in 2025 with 133 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1926, 162,513 American babies have been named Brett. Its peak came in 1986, when 4,904 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Brett stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Brett?

The median living Brett is about 40 years old; half are between 31 and 52. An estimated 151 thousand people named Brett are alive in the United States today.

median 40 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Brett year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 11 #8,961 133 #1,382
2024 15 #7,312 207 #1,058
2023 12 #8,576 187 #1,130
2022 21 #5,819 216 #1,027
2021 20 #5,990 201 #1,064
2020 17 #6,682 241 #925
2019 8 #11,549 275 #820
2018 12 #8,704 288 #788
2017 16 #7,152 315 #748
2016 22 #5,830 333 #733
2015 5 #16,902 324 #745
2014 17 #7,045 386 #664
2013 10 #10,396 360 #669
2012 19 #6,646 427 #596
2011 12 #9,261 510 #509
2010 19 #6,695 729 #389
2009 14 #8,525 766 #392
2008 28 #5,165 1,070 #311
2007 18 #7,135 958 #333
2006 16 #7,546 1,082 #304
2005 28 #4,725 1,389 #243
2004 41 #3,571 1,565 #222
2003 32 #4,124 1,614 #217
2002 23 #5,110 1,868 #198
2001 37 #3,559 1,964 #188
2000 41 #3,279 2,383 #163
1995 117 #1,401 3,567 #106
1990 78 #1,828 4,394 #84
1985 95 #1,365 4,328 #70
1980 79 #1,502 3,128 #96
1975 66 #1,529 2,779 #92
1970 45 #1,906 3,370 #99
1965 29 #2,209 2,342 #132
1960 20 #2,745 2,320 #151
1955 7 #4,785 464 #341
1950 7 #4,359 215 #449
1945 – – 26 #1,299
1940 – – 14 #1,907
1935 – – 5 #3,711
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Brett

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Brett Ratner Brett Ratner American filmmaker (born 1969) Contemporary
  2. 2 Brett Favre Brett Favre American football player (born 1969) Contemporary
  3. 3 Brett Kavanaugh Brett Kavanaugh US Supreme Court justice since 2018 b. 1965 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Brett Cullen Brett Cullen American actor (born 1956) Contemporary
  5. 5 Brett Dier Brett Dier Canadian actor (born 1990) Contemporary
  6. 6 Brett Hull Brett Hull Canadian-American ice hockey player (born 1964) Contemporary
  7. 7 Brett Lee Brett Lee Australian cricketer (born 1976) Contemporary
  8. 8 Brett Dalton Brett Dalton American actor (born 1983) Contemporary
  9. 9 Brett Butler Brett Butler American actress (born 1958) Contemporary
  10. 10 Brett Tucker Australian actor b. 1972 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Brett Gurewitz Brett Gurewitz American guitarist (born 1962) Contemporary
  12. 12 Brett Pitman Brett Pitman Jèrriais footballer (born 1988) Contemporary
  13. 13 Brett Lunger Brett Lunger American racing driver (born 1945) Contemporary
  14. 14 Brett Holman Brett Holman Australian soccer player (born 1984) Contemporary
  15. 15 Brett Dean Australian composer, conductor and violist (born 1961) Contemporary
  16. 16 Brett Aitken Australian cyclist (born 1971) Contemporary
  17. 17 Brett Lancaster Brett Lancaster Australian cyclist (born 1979) Contemporary
  18. 18 Brett J. Gladman Canadian astronomer (born 1966) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Brett, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Brett?

The median living Brett is about 40 years old. Half of all living Bretts are between 31 and 52 years old.

How many people named Brett are alive today?

An estimated 151 thousand people named Brett are alive in the United States, based on 162,513 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Brett mean?

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.

How popular is the name Brett in 2025?

Brett ranked #1,382 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 133 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Brett?

162,513 babies have been named Brett in the United States since 1926, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Brett most popular?

Brett peaked in 1986, when 4,904 newborns received the name.

Is Brett a boy or girl name?

Brett is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Brett rising or falling?

Brett is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Brett become more popular?

Brett is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 103 boys named Brett in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Brett?

Well-known people named Brett include Brett Ratner (film director), Brett Favre (american football player), Brett Kavanaugh (judge).

Names like Brett

Names that sound and feel close to Brett: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Brett with similar names → More names starting with B →