Unisex name · since 1972
Briar
Since 1972, U.S. Social Security records show 7,002 babies named Briar, peaking in 2025. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #2,075 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #400 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,002
- born since 1972
- 2020s
- peak decade
Yes -- Briar is the #400 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 7,002 recorded since 1972.
Briar has 7,002 recorded births among girls since 1972, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #400 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of girls, busiest in the 2020s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1972 to 2025.
- #2,075 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #400 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 7,002 born since 1972
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Briar ranks #2,075 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #400 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 7,002 born since 1972, peaking in the 2020s.
- #2,075 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #400 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,002
- born since 1972
- 2020s
- peak decade
Briar's 7,002 recorded births place it above 97.13% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
45 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Briar compares
7,002 Top 12% higher than 88% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Briar's all-time total is 19x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Briar | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 7,002 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 778 | 21 | 19,840 |
Briar's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Briar splits its recorded history at 1999: 96% of all births land in the more recent half, 4% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1972 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2025 peak of 778 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Briar popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1972–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 778
- Annual births at peak, across 54 years of records
Briar popularity over time - boys
6,347 total births recorded since 1971 (Briar as boys' name)
Briar by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (3,612 births, 52% of the file).
2020s was Briar's strongest decade.
3,612 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 52% of all-time use.
Briar births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 50
1970s
50 births
- 1980s 75
1980s
75 births
- 1990s 212
1990s
212 births
- 2000s 466
2000s
466 births
- 2010s
2010s
2,587 births
- 2020s
2020s
3,612 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 3,612 births (52% of all-time use).
How Briar compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Briar's total volume
Briar by state
Where Briar concentrates geographically, total births since 1972
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 505 | 7.2% |
| #2 | California | | 359 | 5.1% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 236 | 3.4% |
| #4 | Missouri | | 232 | 3.3% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 231 | 3.3% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 230 | 3.3% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 217 | 3.1% |
| #8 | Iowa | | 209 | 3.0% |
505 of 7,002 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 45 reporting states.
Briar appears in 45 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Briar's data
- Texas records the most Briars (505 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Briar
Nearby Names Like Briar
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Briar
Compare Briar side by side: Briar vs Brittany Briar vs Brianna Briar vs Briana
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Briar
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Briar: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2025)
Similar record span (~53 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, 1972–2025 (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 Briar 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.