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.
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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