Unisex name · since 2003
Brighten
165 babies named Brighten in U.S. Social Security records since 2003, with the highest year being 2010. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #14,123 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 165
- born since 2003
- 2010s
- peak decade
Brighten sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 165 recorded since 2003.
Social Security Administration records show Brighten recorded 165 times among boys since 2003, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used boys names, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 2003 to 2024.
- #14,123 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 165 born since 2003
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Brighten ranks #14,123 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 165 born since 2003, peaking in the 2010s.
- #14,123 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 165
- born since 2003
- 2010s
- peak decade
Brighten's 165 recorded births place it above 68.88% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Brighten's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Brighten splits its recorded history at 2015: 54% of all births land in the more recent half, 46% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 2004 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2010 peak of 15 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Brighten popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2003–2024
- Peak year (2010)
- 15
- Annual births at peak, across 22 years of records
No longer in the modern top-1000, last recorded 2024.
165 total births across 22 years of SSA records. Peaked in 2010 with 15 births in a single year.
Brighten popularity over time - girls
98 total births recorded since 2000 (Brighten as girls' name)
Unisex use is substantial
The girls' variant of Brighten accounts for 37% of total recorded use across both genders.
Brighten by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (91 births, 55% of the file).
2010s was Brighten's strongest decade.
91 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 55% of all-time use.
Brighten births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 2000s 36
2000s
36 births
- 2010s
2010s
91 births
- 2020s
2020s
38 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 91 births (55% of all-time use).
Brighten decade highlights
- Peak decade 91 births
- Runner-up 38 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Brighten? ▼
Where does Brighten sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Brighten most popular? ▼
Is Brighten a unisex name? ▼
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What to do with Brighten's data
- Brighten's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (91 total births) through the 2020s (38) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Brighten
Nearby Names Like Brighten
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Brighten
Compare Brighten side by side: Brighten vs Brian Brighten vs Brice Brighten vs Briggs
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Brighten: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2010)
Similar record span (~21 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, 2003–2024 (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 Brighten 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.
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