Girls' name · since 1985
Bretney
44 babies named Bretney in U.S. Social Security records since 1985, with the highest year being 1989. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #36,372 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 44
- born since 1985
- 1980s
- peak decade
Bretney sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 44 recorded since 1985.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bretney has been recorded 44 times among girls since 1985, though it is not among the currently most-used girls names, with its heaviest use in the 1980s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1985 to 1995.
- #36,372 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 44 born since 1985
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bretney ranks #36,372 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 44 born since 1985, peaking in the 1980s.
- #36,372 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 44
- born since 1985
- 1980s
- peak decade
Bretney's 44 recorded births place it above 49.4% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Bretney's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Bretney's full recorded timeline at 1989, 48% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 52% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1992, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1989 peak of 11 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Bretney popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1985–1995
- Peak year (1989)
- 11
- Annual births at peak, across 11 years of records
Bretney by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (34 births, 77% of the file).
1980s was Bretney's strongest decade.
34 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 77% of all-time use.
Bretney births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s
1980s
34 births
- 1990s 10
1990s
10 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 34 births (77% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bretney? ▼
Where does Bretney sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Bretney most popular? ▼
How long has the name Bretney been used? ▼
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What to do with Bretney's data
- Bretney's decade-level peak was the 1980s (34 total births); usage has since declined to 10 in the 1990s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Bretney
Nearby Names Like Bretney
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bretney
Compare Bretney side by side: Bretney vs Brenda Bretney vs Breanna Bretney vs Brenna
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Bretney: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1989)
Similar record span (~10 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1985–1995 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Bretney draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.