Boys' name · since 1959
Breton
Breton has 456 recorded births since 1959 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1988 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #8,325 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,262 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 456
- born since 1959
- 1980s
- peak decade
456 babies have been named Breton since 1959, making it today's #12262 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Breton recorded 456 times among boys since 1959, holding rank #12262 nationally today, ahead of 12% of boys, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1959 to 2025.
- #8,325 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #12,262 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 456 born since 1959
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Breton ranks #8,325 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #12,262 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 456 born since 1959, peaking in the 1980s.
- #8,325 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,262 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 456
- born since 1959
- 1980s
- peak decade
Breton's 456 recorded births place it above 81.68% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
How Breton compares
456 Top 46% higher than 54% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Breton's all-time total is 24% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Breton | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 456 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 19 | 34 | 22,252 |
Breton's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Breton's SSA record in two at 1990 and the more recent half accounts for 48% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 52%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1960, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1988 peak of 19, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Breton popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1959–2025
- Peak year (1988)
- 19
- Annual births at peak, across 67 years of records
Breton by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (118 births, 26% of the file).
1980s was Breton's strongest decade.
118 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Breton births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 8
1950s
8 births
- 1960s
1960s
61 births
- 1970s
1970s
51 births
- 1980s
1980s
118 births
- 1990s
1990s
90 births
- 2000s
2000s
54 births
- 2010s 47
2010s
47 births
- 2020s 27
2020s
27 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 118 births (26% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Breton? ▼
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When was Breton most popular? ▼
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What to do with Breton's data
- Breton's decade-level peak was the 1980s (118 total births); usage has since declined to 27 in the 2020s -- 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 Breton
Nearby Names Like Breton
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Breton
Compare Breton side by side: Breton vs Brett Breton vs Brent Breton vs Brendan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Breton
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Breton: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1988)
Similar record span (~66 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, 1959–2025 (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 Breton 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.