Total births
44
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.
- 44
- total births
- 1985–1995
- years on record
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 77%
- born in that 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.
- 44 total births
- 1985–1995 years on record
- 1980s peak decade
- 77% born in that decade
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
44 girls have been named Bretney since 1985, peaking in the 1980s, last recorded in 1995.
- 44
- total births
- 1985–1995
- years on record
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 77%
- born in that decade
1980s
Peak decade
77% of everyone ever named Bretney was born in this single decade.
1989
Single peak year
11 babies were named Bretney in 1989 - its busiest year on record.
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 at a glance
Last recorded 1995Peak year
1989
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1985
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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? ▼
Bretney has been given to 44 babies in the U.S. since 1985, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 1995. 11 babies were born in 1989, its single highest year.
When was Bretney most popular? ▼
Bretney was most popular in the 1980s decade with 34 total births. The single peak year was 1989.
How long has the name Bretney been used? ▼
Bretney has been recorded in Social Security data since 1985, spanning 11 years of data through 1995.
What names are similar to Bretney? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Brenda, Breanna, Brenna, Breana, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
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.
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
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
Brenda Girl
#1141 608,478 births
Breanna Girl
#1829 82,375 births
Brenna Girl
#2070 29,371 births
Breana Girl
#10477 11,224 births
Breanne Girl
#7011 10,352 births
Compare Bretney side by side: Bretney vs Brenda Bretney vs Breanna Bretney vs Brenna
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of July 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Bretney: Baby Name Since 1985 - 44 Births, Peak 1989." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/bretney. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 July 2026.