U.S. first-name statistics

How common is Brian?

Brian was the #25 most frequent first name in the 2020 Census.

People with the first name Brian

1,011,020

About 1 in 328 Americans had this first name in the 2020 Census.

Measured, privacy-protected national Census count—not a total of historical baby-name records.

National rank

#25

More common than 100.0% of listed first names

Peak year

1972

36,477 SSA-recorded births

2025 births

979

#663 across first names

Census frequency

1 in 328

Across the 2020 U.S. population

Sex distribution

Reported in the 2020 Census first-name table.

99.9% male0.1% female

Demographic distribution

Aggregated race and Hispanic-origin reporting in the 2020 Census name table.

White, non-Hispanic80.1%
Black, non-Hispanic6.07%
American Indian / Alaska Native0.49%
Asian / Pacific Islander2.83%
Two or more races2.47%
Hispanic or Latino8.01%

Reading the result

Brian across two different records

The Census count answers “how many people had this name?” using a national snapshot of living residents in 2020. The SSA series answers “when was this name popular?” using Social Security card applications associated with births.

Brian reached its highest published annual SSA count in 1972, with 36,477 recorded births. In 2025, SSA recorded 979 babies with the name.

Names do not determine a person’s identity. Demographic percentages above describe national aggregates and should never be applied to an individual.

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