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
Below the archive median
All-time archive position

Brighten's 165 recorded births place it above 68.88% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

National only
State-record footprint

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

Last recorded 2024
Peak year (2010)
15
Annual births at peak, across 22 years of records
05101520 20032007201020142017202020232024 7

Brighten popularity over time - girls

98 total births recorded since 2000 (Brighten as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 98 births
4681012 20002007200920122014201720202024 6

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

births

What this shows Peak: 2010s at 91 births (55% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Brighten?
165 babies have been named Brighten since 2003. All-time, it sits at #14,123 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. It was last recorded in 2024. The peak year was 2010 with 15 births.
Where does Brighten sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Brighten ranks #14,123 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the null SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Brighten most popular?
Brighten was most popular in the 2010s decade with 91 total births. The single peak year was 2010.
Is Brighten a unisex name?
Yes, Brighten is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 165 births, and as a girl's name it has 98 births.
How long has the name Brighten been used?
Records for Brighten go back to 2003, giving 22 years of history through 2024.
What names are similar to Brighten?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Brian, Brice, Briggs, Bridger, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

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

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.

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.