Bret

Bret: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“a Breton, from Brittany”
Origin
Celtic
Say it
BRET · 1 syllable
Used for
Boys

Bret is a variant of Brett, originally a surname meaning a Breton, referring to someone from Brittany in France. The ethnic term ultimately relates to the Brittonic Celtic peoples.

How popular is Bret?

20246.3 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Bret in 202421

2024 rank#4,720 boys

Peak year1959

Total US babies since 188030,030

Bret is fading: recent use is about 42% of its level ten years before.

Names like Bret

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Bretta Breton, Briton · Celtic
  • GaelGaelic person · Celtic
  • Arthurmeaning uncertain · Celtic
  • Alanuncertain; possibly little rock or handsome · Celtic
  • Tristantumult; outcry · Celtic
  • Bryanhigh, noble · Celtic
  • Brycespeckled · Celtic
  • Kanewarrior · Celtic

Bret questions

What does the name Bret mean?

Bret means "a Breton, from Brittany". It comes from Celtic. Bret is a variant of Brett, originally a surname meaning a Breton, referring to someone from Brittany in France. The ethnic term ultimately relates to the Brittonic Celtic peoples.

Is Bret a boy or girl name?

Bret is mainly a boy's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Bret?

21 US babies were named Bret in 2024. Its peak year was 1959.

How do you pronounce Bret?

Bret is usually pronounced BRET.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.