Brett

♂ Boy

Pronounced BRET /brɛt/High

Meaning: A Breton; from Britain; from Old French Bret (a Breton, a native of Brittany or Britain)High

In 30 seconds: A French name meaning 'a Breton' or 'from Brittany,' denoting a person of Celtic Breton origin. Associated with Brett Favre, the Hall of Fame NFL quarterback, and Lady Brett Ashley in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises.

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Origin HighFrench, Celtic

MeaningA Breton; from Britain; from Old French Bret (a Breton, a native of Brittany or Britain)

U.S. rank (2025)#1382 ↘ Falling

2025 U.S. births133 boys (0.01% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1986

Total births (all-time)≈ 159,112

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

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

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Brett is from Old French Bret (a Breton, a person from Brittany or Britain), used to identify people of Celtic Breton descent. It became an English surname and then a given name in English-speaking countries.

Brett was popular in the U.S. from the 1950s through the 1980s. It ranked #1060 for boys in 2024.

Did you know? Lady Brett Ashley in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises (1926) was one of the first complex, morally ambiguous female protagonists in American modernist fiction — and Hemingway reportedly based her on Lady Duff Twysden, a British socialite he knew in Paris.

Overall data confidence 92%

Behind the Name — Brett — Old French/Celtic etymologyU.S. Social Security Administration — popularity data

Variations

Bret

Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

★Brett Favre (1969–present)
American NFL quarterback, three-time MVP, Super Bowl champion with the Green Bay Packers (1997), and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Brett mean?

Brett means 'a Breton' or 'from Brittany/Britain,' from Old French Bret (a person of Celtic Breton origin).

How do you pronounce Brett?

It's said BRET — one syllable, rhyming with 'net.'

Is Brett a boy or girl name?

Brett is used primarily as a boys' name.

How popular is Brett?

Brett ranked #1060 for U.S. boys in 2024.