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Brittany

♀ Girl

Pronounced BRIT-uh-nee /ˈbrɪt.ə.niː/High

Meaning: From Brittania or Armorica, the historical region of northwestern France settled by Celtic Britons fleeing Anglo-Saxon invasions; the region's name means land of the Britons, from Latin BritanniaHigh

In 30 seconds: Brittany is a geographic name taken from the Celtic region of northwestern France, meaning land of the Britons, that became one of the most iconic American girls names of the 1980s and 1990s and is now a candidate for vintage revival.
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Origin HighLatin, Celtic
MeaningFrom Brittania or Armorica, the historical region of northwestern France settled by Celtic Britons fleeing Anglo-Saxon invasions; the region's name means land of the Britons, from Latin Britannia
U.S. rank (2025)#928 ↘ Falling
2025 U.S. births281 girls (0.02% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1989
Total births (all-time)≈ 360,668

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 198919632025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

History & Origin

Brittany derives from the name of Brittany (Bretagne), the peninsula in northwestern France historically known as Armorica, which was settled by Celtic Britons from southwestern Britain beginning in the 5th century CE when Anglo-Saxon invaders pushed them out of Britain. The region's new name meant land of the Britons, from Latin Britannia. As a given name, Brittany is a purely American creation, drawing on the romantic and slightly exotic French regional name as a distinctive girls name.

Brittany exploded in popularity in the United States in the 1980s and peaked as a top-5 girls name by the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was the quintessential Gen X and early Millennial name, alongside Tiffany, Ashley, and Jessica. Pop icon Britney Spears (born 1981 with a slightly different spelling) is the most famous bearer of the phoneme, though her career began after the name was already at peak. By the 2000s Brittany had fallen sharply from the charts. Naming experts consider it a prime candidate for the 70-80-year nostalgic revival cycle in the 2050s-2060s.

Did you know? Brittany (the French region Bretagne) was settled by Celtic Britons fleeing Anglo-Saxon invaders in the 5th and 6th centuries CE — making the place name Brittany a record of one of the great migrations of early medieval Europe, preserved in a French regional name that became an American baby name a millennium and a half later.
Overall data confidence 92%
Behind the Name — Brittany — geographic origin and popularity history

Variations

BritneyBrittneyBritanny

Nicknames

BrittBri

Famous Bearers

  • ★Britney Spears (1981–present)
    American pop singer known for hits including ...Baby One More Time and Toxic; she uses the Britney spelling.

If you like Brittany…

Tiffany— fellow 1980s peak girls name with the same three-syllable energy and vintage cycle potential
Ashley— quintessential 1980s-90s American girls name in the same generational cohort as Brittany
Stephanie— three-syllable girls name that shared Brittany's 1980s dominance
Courtney— two- or three-syllable girls name from the same late 1980s chart-topping generation

Frequently Asked

What does the name Brittany mean?

Brittany comes from the French region Bretagne, meaning land of the Britons — settled by Celtic Britons fleeing Anglo-Saxon Britain in the 5th century.

How do you pronounce Brittany?

It is said BRIT-uh-nee — three syllables, stress on the first.

When was Brittany most popular?

Brittany peaked as a top-5 girls name in the United States in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Is Brittany the same as Britney?

They are different spellings of the same name; Britney is particularly associated with singer Britney Spears, while Brittany is the standard geographic spelling.