Bret

Where Bret comes from

The dictionaries list Bret as a given name — a male given name transferred from the surname, variant of Brett, ultimately meaning "a Breton" — but don't trace where it came from. The record below is what the SSA data shows.

Along the way
  1. 1836
    Bret Harte born
    American writer and poet
  2. 1926
    First appearance
    #4,201 among boys, 5 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  3. 1959
    Peak, #170
    1,839 babies named Bret — more than any year before or since.
  4. 1961
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #284.
  5. 1964
    Bret Easton Ellis born
    American novelist, screenwriter
In the dictionary
  • A male given name transferred from the surname, variant of Brett, ultimately meaning "a Breton".
Namesakes
  • Bret Easton Ellis · American novelist, screenwriter, born 1964
  • Bret Harte · American writer and poet, 1836–1902
  • Bret Hart · Canadian-American professional wrestler, writer and actor, born 1957
  • Bret Michaels · American rock musician, born 1963
  • Bret Iwan · American voice actor, born 1982

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.