Bret

Last seen for girls in 2011 at #14,824 · #4,857 for boys in 2025, 20 births
Given to boys 99.2% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1959 · 1,839 births
Debut · boys
5 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
29,819
since 1926

Bret over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Bret has never cracked the top 100 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201980peak #170, 1959boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#4,85720
2024#4,70121
2023#4,00227
2022#4,44223
2021#4,49422
2020#5,23517
2019#4,63921
2018#3,30134
2017#4,33123
2016#3,35833
2015#3,36533
2014#2,66145
2013#2,89539
2012#2,81142
2011#14,8246#1,92772
2010#1,71389
2009#1,63896
2008#1,380123
2007#13,9247#1,464109
2006#1,51999
2005#13,0107#1,093151
2004#1,022160
2003#956171
2002#12,1877#868189
2001#714246
2000#10,7458#657274
1999#12,6886#580335
1998#9,2609#604305
1997#8,33410#614285
1996#7,13012#543350
1995#6,25714#519388
1994#5,01619#494414
1993#8,7199#507405
1992#468463
1991#432516
1990#12,9585#418546
1989#12,3625#398545
1988#7,11110#410487
1987#5,61313#365536
1986#5,45913#366509
1985#6,03111#365502
1984#10,4225#381458
1983#6,21210#352504
1982#9,2376#2171,098
1981#5,57112#342532
1980#10,3925#400410
1979#359490
1978#396381
1977#385415
1976#341505
1975#359462
1974#342509
1973#322541
1972#8,2925#293628
1971#7,3886#284734
1970#6,3627#260871
1969#264791
1968#7,0165#246841
1967#243837
1966#243860
1965#274743
1964#275786
1963#274787
1962#274787
1961#284741
1960#2231,242
1959#1701,839
1958#1871,514
1957#556194
1956#83181
1955#76391
1954#79582
1953#96655
1952#1,04448
1951#1,48925
1950#1,23234
1949#1,46225
1948#1,70319
1947#1,39428
1946#2,14312
1945#2,24210
1944#2,6338
1943#2,18212
1942
1941#2,4919
1940#2,32210
1939
1938
1937
1936
1935
1934
1933
1932
1931
1930
1929
1928
1927
1926#4,2015
1925
1924
1923
1922
1921
1920
1919
1918
1917
1916
1915
1914
1913
1912
1911
1910
1909
1908
1907
1906
1905
1904
1903
1902
1901
1900
1899
1898
1897
1896
1895
1894
1893
1892
1891
1890
1889
1888
1887
1886
1885
1884
1883
1882
1881
1880
First appearance
1926

The first year at least five boys were named Bret! It came in at #4,201, and was given to 5 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1926–1939, when fewer than 6 boys a year got the name.

Where Bret is popular in 1980

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedAKMaine: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedMEVermont: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedNHWashington: #247 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 2,393 boysWAIdaho: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedIDMontana: #169 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 1,160 boysMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedNDMinnesota: #274 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 4,058 boysMNIllinois: #307 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 2,787 boysILWisconsin: #200 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 2,204 boysWIMichigan: #357 for boys · 15 births · 1 in 4,489 boysMINew York: #538 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 7,033 boysNYMassachusetts: #373 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 6,959 boysMARhode Island: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedRIOregon: #257 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 2,482 boysORNevada: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedNVWyoming: #137 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 785 boysWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedSDIowa: #146 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 1,129 boysIAIndiana: #306 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 3,479 boysINOhio: #266 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 3,138 boysOHPennsylvania: #374 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 5,894 boysPANew Jersey: #465 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 6,105 boysNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedCTCalifornia: #370 for boys · 55 births · 1 in 3,496 boysCAUtah: #235 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 1,932 boysUTColorado: #268 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 2,280 boysCONebraska: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedNEMissouri: #362 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 4,669 boysMOKentucky: #255 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 2,811 boysKYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedWVVirginia: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedVAMaryland: #381 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 4,678 boysMDDelaware: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedDEArizona: #323 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 2,503 boysAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedNMKansas: #300 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 2,985 boysKSArkansas: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedARTennessee: #394 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 4,789 boysTNNorth Carolina: #558 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 7,675 boysNCSouth Carolina: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedDCOklahoma: #300 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 2,550 boysOKLouisiana: #481 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 4,570 boysLAMississippi: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedMSAlabama: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedALGeorgia: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedGAHawaii: fewer than 5 boys named Bret, so not publishedHITexas: #598 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 7,413 boysTXFlorida: #449 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 4,596 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Wyoming#137 · 1 in 785
  2. Iowa#146 · 1 in 1,129
  3. Montana#169 · 1 in 1,160
  4. Wisconsin#200 · 1 in 2,204
  5. Utah#235 · 1 in 1,932

Best ever in a state: #25 in Utah, 1958.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Wyoming#13751 in 785
Iowa#146201 in 1,129
Montana#16951 in 1,160
Wisconsin#200161 in 2,204
Utah#235101 in 1,932
Washington#247131 in 2,393
Kentucky#255101 in 2,811
Oregon#25781 in 2,482
Ohio#266261 in 3,138
Colorado#268101 in 2,280
Minnesota#27481 in 4,058
Kansas#30061 in 2,985
Oklahoma#30091 in 2,550
Indiana#306121 in 3,479
Illinois#307311 in 2,787
Arizona#32391 in 2,503
Michigan#357151 in 4,489
Missouri#36281 in 4,669
California#370551 in 3,496
Massachusetts#37351 in 6,959
Pennsylvania#374131 in 5,894
Maryland#38151 in 4,678
Tennessee#39471 in 4,789
Florida#449131 in 4,596
New Jersey#46571 in 6,105
Louisiana#48181 in 4,570
New York#538161 in 7,033
North Carolina#55851 in 7,675
Texas#598181 in 7,413
Alabama
Alaska
Arkansas
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Maine
Mississippi
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Mexico
North Dakota
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Bret
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 156 spots since 2024 (#4,701#4,857)
  • 378 spots since 2020 (#5,235#4,857)
  • 1,492 spots since 2015 (#3,365#4,857)
  • Biggest jump: 369 spots in 1958 (#556#187)
  • Biggest drop: 154 spots in 2002 (#714#868)
Rise & fade · boys
33 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1926
  • Peaked 1959 at #170 (1,839 births)
  • Births halved by 1961, 2 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 51 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 51 yrs · run 1953–2003
Share of babies · boys
1 in 1,161
  • Highest: 1 in 1,161 boys born in 1959 were named Bret (0.09%)
  • Latest: 1 in 85,404 boys born in 2025 (0.00%)
Era · boys
The 1960s
  • 28.2% of all boys named Bret (8,415) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1920s5#4,201 (1926)#4,201
1930s0
1940s133#1,394 (1947)#2,064
1950s3,963#170 (1959)#803
1960s8,415#223 (1960)#260
1970s5,536#260 (1970)#334
1980s5,581#217 (1982)#360
1990s4,007#418 (1990)#518
2000s1,618#657 (2000)#1,131
2010s431#1,713 (2010)#3,100
2020s130#4,002 (2023)#4,622

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Bret in 1980

girls
#10,392
5 births · 1 in 332,061 girls
boys
#400
410 births · 1 in 4,351 boys

Top girls' names in 1980

  1. #1Jennifer58,374
  2. #2Amanda35,811
  3. #3Jessica33,924
  4. #4Melissa31,629
  5. #5Sarah25,757
  6. #6Heather19,973
  7. #7Nicole19,917
  8. #8Amy19,833
  9. #9Elizabeth19,529
  10. #10Michelle19,119
  11. #10,392Bret5

Top boys' names in 1980

  1. #1Michael68,683
  2. #2Christopher49,079
  3. #3Jason48,164
  4. #4David41,891
  5. #5James39,312
  6. #6Matthew37,834
  7. #7Joshua36,052
  8. #8John35,274
  9. #9Robert34,266
  10. #10Joseph30,185
  11. #400Bret410
More about 1980

girls

1,660,307 girls got a published name in 1980; 1 in 332,061 of them was named Bret, which outranked 14.5% of the 12,161 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Bret
  1. #9,095Yvon6
  2. #9,095Zella6
  3. #9,095Zuri6
  4. #10,392Bret5
  5. #10,392Abbegail5
  6. #10,392Abel5
  7. #10,392Abelina5

Tied with 1,769 names at #10,392; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1979
Risers
  1. 1,510Renada#2,218#708
  2. 1,173Tai#2,112#939
  3. 1,036Anya#1,592#556
  4. 601Chimere#1,503#902
  5. 517Brynn#1,442#925
Fallers
  1. 529Marlana#989#1,518
  2. 494Kizzy#647#1,141
  3. 369January#748#1,117
  4. 361Carisa#836#1,197
  5. 328Latonia#841#1,169

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,783,951 boys got a published name in 1980; 1 in 4,351 of them was named Bret, which outranked 94.5% of the 7,293 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Bret
  1. #397Gilberto416
  2. #398Emmanuel412
  3. #399Felipe411
  4. #400Bret410
  5. #401Cecil407
  6. #401Mike407
  7. #403Zachariah406
Biggest movers since 1979
Risers
  1. 381Gideon#1,370#989
  2. 296Bo#864#568
  3. 270Anson#1,137#867
  4. 266Dustan#1,255#989
  5. 255Dusty#614#359
Fallers
  1. 366Harris#991#1,357
  2. 362Tracey#842#1,204
  3. 331Jevon#780#1,111
  4. 321Kennith#937#1,258
  5. 267Levar#644#911

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1980