Boys' name · since 1926
Brett
159,109 babies named Brett in U.S. Social Security records since 1926, with the highest year being 1986. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #217 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,385 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 159,109
- born since 1926
- 1980s
- peak decade
159,109 babies have been named Brett since 1926, making it today's #1385 boys' name.
Brett has 159,109 recorded births among boys since 1926, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1385 as of the latest data, more common than 90% of boys, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1926 to 2025.
- #217 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,385 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 159,109 born since 1926
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Brett ranks #217 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,385 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 159,109 born since 1926, peaking in the 1980s.
- #217 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,385 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 159,109
- born since 1926
- 1980s
- peak decade
Brett's 159,109 recorded births place it above 99.52% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Brett compares
159,109 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Brett's all-time total is 431x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Brett | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 159,109 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 4,729 | 34 | 22,252 |
Brett's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Brett's full recorded timeline at 1979, 63% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 37% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1926, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1986 peak of 4,729 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Brett popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1926–2025
- Peak year (1986)
- 4,729
- Annual births at peak, across 100 years of records
Brett popularity over time - girls
3,404 total births recorded since 1950 (Brett as girls' name)
Brett by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (41,289 births, 26% of the file).
1980s was Brett's strongest decade.
41,289 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Brett births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 10
1920s
10 births
- 1930s 38
1930s
38 births
- 1940s 547
1940s
547 births
- 1950s 7,255
1950s
7,255 births
- 1960s
1960s
25,835 births
- 1970s
1970s
28,922 births
- 1980s
1980s
41,289 births
- 1990s
1990s
35,422 births
- 2000s 14,659
2000s
14,659 births
- 2010s 3,947
2010s
3,947 births
- 2020s 1,185
2020s
1,185 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 41,289 births (26% of all-time use).
How Brett compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Brett's total volume
Brett by state
Where Brett concentrates geographically, total births since 1926
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 16,095 | 10.1% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 9,067 | 5.7% |
| #3 | New York | | 8,888 | 5.6% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 8,378 | 5.3% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 8,267 | 5.2% |
| #6 | Texas | | 7,813 | 4.9% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 7,302 | 4.6% |
| #8 | Florida | | 5,931 | 3.7% |
16,095 of 159,109 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Brett appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Brett? ▼
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When was Brett most popular? ▼
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What to do with Brett's data
- Brett's decade-level peak was the 1980s (41,289 total births); usage has since declined to 1,185 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Bretts (16,095 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Brett
Nearby Names Like Brett
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Brett
Compare Brett side by side: Brett vs Brent Brett vs Brendan Brett vs Brennan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Brett
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Brett: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1986)
Similar record span (~99 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, 1926–2025 (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 Brett 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.