Briar
Girl name · #400 in 2025 · Distinctive
In 2025, 778 baby girls were named Briar, placing it at #400 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #835, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 2,314 girls born in 2025 was named Briar.
The 53-year story
Briar first appears in the Social Security records in 1972, when 5 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2025, with 778 babies and a rank of #400. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Briar per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Briar against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Briar in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Briar is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "distinctive". That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Briar is most common
Geography matters for names, and Briar is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Briar is most common in SD (3.9 per 1,000), NH (2.6 per 1,000), IA (2.5 per 1,000), NE (1.8 per 1,000), KS (1.6 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.6 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Briar is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Briar
Statistically, parents drawn to Briar tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Baylor, Blaire, Wynter, Blake, and Winter.
BaylorBlaireWynterBlakeWinterCloverRiverSaylor
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Briar | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 778 | #400 |
| 2024 | 589 | #522 |
| 2023 | 550 | #549 |
| 2022 | 579 | #534 |
| 2021 | 597 | #516 |
| 2020 | 519 | #567 |
| 2019 | 529 | #578 |
| 2018 | 422 | #687 |
| 2017 | 397 | #722 |
| 2016 | 355 | #801 |
| 2015 | 336 | #835 |
| 2014 | 158 | #1436 |
| 2013 | 108 | #1866 |
| 2012 | 108 | #1859 |
| 2011 | 104 | #1909 |
| 2010 | 70 | #2589 |
| 2009 | 72 | #2568 |
| 2008 | 51 | #3267 |
| 2007 | 73 | #2541 |
| 2006 | 53 | #3136 |
| 2005 | 30 | #4487 |
| 2004 | 37 | #3819 |
| 2003 | 43 | #3347 |
| 2002 | 34 | #3810 |
| 2001 | 38 | #3486 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Briar a popular girl name?
Briar ranked #400 among girls in 2025 with 778 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #835.
When was the name Briar most popular?
Briar peaked in 2025, when 778 American girls received the name (ranked #400 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Briar?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 2,314 newborn American girls was named Briar. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "distinctive".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.