Boys' name · since 1909
Brian
1,173,735 babies named Brian in U.S. Social Security records since 1909, with the highest year being 1972. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #25 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #339 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,173,735
- born since 1909
- 1970s
- peak decade
1,173,735 babies have been named Brian since 1909, making it today's #339 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Brian recorded 1,173,735 times among boys since 1909, holding rank #339 nationally today, ahead of 98% of boys, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1909 to 2025.
- #25 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #339 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,173,735 born since 1909
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Brian ranks #25 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #339 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,173,735 born since 1909, peaking in the 1970s.
- #25 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #339 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,173,735
- born since 1909
- 1970s
- peak decade
Brian's 1,173,735 recorded births place it above 99.94% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Brian compares
1,173,735 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Brian's all-time total is 3,181x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Brian | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,173,735 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 36,306 | 34 | 22,252 |
Brian's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Brian splits its recorded history at 1968: 71% of all births land in the more recent half, 29% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1909 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1972 peak of 36,306 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Brian popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1909–2025
- Peak year (1972)
- 36,306
- Annual births at peak, across 117 years of records
Brian popularity over time - girls
4,563 total births recorded since 1943 (Brian as girls' name)
Brian by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (322,660 births, 27% of the file).
1970s was Brian's strongest decade.
322,660 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Brian births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 5
1900s
5 births
- 1910s 116
1910s
116 births
- 1920s 566
1920s
566 births
- 1930s 3,173
1930s
3,173 births
- 1940s 22,793
1940s
22,793 births
- 1950s 112,336
1950s
112,336 births
- 1960s
1960s
258,129 births
- 1970s
1970s
322,660 births
- 1980s
1980s
233,993 births
- 1990s 119,309
1990s
119,309 births
- 2000s 69,775
2000s
69,775 births
- 2010s 24,107
2010s
24,107 births
- 2020s 6,773
2020s
6,773 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 322,660 births (27% of all-time use).
How Brian 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 Brian's total volume
Brian by state
Where Brian concentrates geographically, total births since 1909
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 125,913 | 10.7% |
| #2 | New York | | 101,362 | 8.6% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 72,320 | 6.2% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 69,634 | 5.9% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 67,755 | 5.8% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 57,552 | 4.9% |
| #7 | Texas | | 49,347 | 4.2% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 45,717 | 3.9% |
125,913 of 1,173,735 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Brian appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Brian? ▼
Where does Brian sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Brian most popular? ▼
Where is Brian most popular? ▼
How long has the name Brian been used? ▼
What names are similar to Brian? ▼
What to do with Brian's data
- Brian's decade-level peak was the 1970s (322,660 total births); usage has since declined to 6,773 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Brians (125,913 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 Brian
Nearby Names Like Brian
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Brian
Compare Brian side by side: Brian vs Brice Brian vs Briggs Brian vs Bridger
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Brian
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Brian: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1972)
Similar record span (~116 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, 1909–2025 (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 Brian 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.