At a glance
- In short
- Briar is an English name for a thorny wild rose or bramble, used for girls and boys.
- U.S. rank 2025 (girls)
- #400
- Babies in 2025 (girls)
- 778 (0.044% of girls)
- As a boy name
- #686 in 2025 (397 babies)Peak #671 in 2023
- Trend (girls)
- Rising #567 in 2020 to #400 in 2025
- Peak (girls)
- #400 in 2025
- Top state (girls)
- #73 in South Dakota
- First recorded
- 1971 (as a boy name; 1972 as a girl name)
Meaning of Briar
Briar is an English word name meaning a thorny shrub, such as the wild rose or bramble. The word goes back to Old English brēr. Also spelled Brier, it is used for both girls and boys. It is pronounced BRY-er in American English and BRY-uh in British English.
The name is closely tied to Sleeping Beauty. The Grimm tale is often translated into English as Little Briar Rose, and in Disney's 1959 film the hidden princess goes by Briar Rose. A well-known bearer is Briar Nolet, the Canadian dancer and actress from The Next Step and The Chosen.
Briar was rare in the U.S. for decades before climbing sharply in the 2010s. It ranked 1,436th in 2014 and jumped to 835th in 2015. In 2025 it reached its highest rank yet, No. 400, with 778 babies.
How to pronounce Briar
American English
- Pronounced bry-er /ˈbraɪ.ər/
British English
- Pronounced bry-uh /ˈbraɪ.ə/
Popularity of Briar in the U.S.
Briar was the #400 girl name in the U.S. in 2025, with 778 babies. It has been in the top 1,000 since 2015. It first appears in the records in 1971, as a boy name, and was the #686 boy name in 2025, with 397 babies.
- Rank among U.S. girl names (right scale, #1 at the top)
Girls year by year, 1972–2025 53 rows
| Year | Babies | Rank | vs previous year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 778 | 400 | ▲ 122 |
| 2024 | 589 | 522 | ▲ 27 |
| 2023 | 550 | 549 | ▼ 15 |
| 2022 | 579 | 534 | ▼ 18 |
| 2021 | 597 | 516 | ▲ 51 |
| 2020 | 519 | 567 | ▲ 11 |
| 2019 | 529 | 578 | ▲ 109 |
| 2018 | 422 | 687 | ▲ 35 |
| 2017 | 397 | 722 | ▲ 79 |
| 2016 | 355 | 801 | ▲ 34 |
| 2015 | 336 | 835 | ▲ 601 |
| 2014 | 158 | 1,436 | ▲ 430 |
| 2013 | 108 | 1,866 | ▼ 7 |
| 2012 | 108 | 1,859 | ▲ 50 |
| 2011 | 104 | 1,909 | ▲ 680 |
| 2010 | 70 | 2,589 | ▼ 21 |
| 2009 | 72 | 2,568 | ▲ 699 |
| 2008 | 51 | 3,267 | ▼ 726 |
| 2007 | 73 | 2,541 | ▲ 595 |
| 2006 | 53 | 3,136 | ▲ 1,351 |
| 2005 | 30 | 4,487 | ▼ 668 |
| 2004 | 37 | 3,819 | ▼ 472 |
| 2003 | 43 | 3,347 | ▲ 463 |
| 2002 | 34 | 3,810 | ▼ 324 |
| 2001 | 38 | 3,486 | ▲ 178 |
| 2000 | 35 | 3,664 | ▲ 306 |
| 1999 | 29 | 3,970 | ▼ 240 |
| 1998 | 31 | 3,730 | ▲ 85 |
| 1997 | 29 | 3,815 | ▲ 768 |
| 1996 | 22 | 4,583 | ▲ 1,375 |
| 1995 | 15 | 5,958 | ▼ 1,437 |
| 1994 | 22 | 4,521 | ▼ 128 |
| 1993 | 23 | 4,393 | ▲ 658 |
| 1992 | 19 | 5,051 | ▲ 898 |
| 1991 | 15 | 5,949 | ▲ 4,244 |
| 1990 | 7 | 10,193 | ▼ 3,238 |
| 1989 | 11 | 6,955 | ▲ 1,436 |
| 1988 | 8 | 8,391 | ▼ 404 |
| 1987 | 8 | 7,987 | ▲ 2,925 |
| 1986 | 5 | 10,912 | ▼ 235 |
| 1985 | 5 | 10,677 | ▼ 5,138 |
| 1984 | 12 | 5,539 | back (not recorded in 1983) |
| 1982 | 8 | 7,469 | ▼ 1,584 |
| 1981 | 11 | 5,885 | ▲ 2,293 |
| 1980 | 7 | 8,178 | ▼ 117 |
| 1979 | 7 | 8,061 | ▼ 1,113 |
| 1978 | 8 | 6,948 | ▲ 1,496 |
| 1977 | 6 | 8,444 | ▼ 1,833 |
| 1976 | 8 | 6,611 | ▲ 2,456 |
| 1975 | 5 | 9,067 | ▼ 292 |
| 1974 | 5 | 8,775 | ▼ 1,340 |
| 1973 | 6 | 7,435 | ▲ 857 |
| 1972 | 5 | 8,292 | new |
Boys year by year, 1971–2025 43 rows
| Year | Babies | Rank | vs previous year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 397 | 686 | ▲ 12 |
| 2024 | 387 | 698 | ▼ 27 |
| 2023 | 405 | 671 | ▲ 70 |
| 2022 | 347 | 741 | ▼ 27 |
| 2021 | 364 | 714 | ▲ 42 |
| 2020 | 318 | 756 | ▲ 19 |
| 2019 | 302 | 775 | ▲ 34 |
| 2018 | 278 | 809 | ▲ 73 |
| 2017 | 244 | 882 | ▲ 124 |
| 2016 | 203 | 1,006 | – |
| 2015 | 203 | 1,006 | ▲ 2 |
| 2014 | 203 | 1,008 | ▲ 120 |
| 2013 | 161 | 1,128 | ▼ 98 |
| 2012 | 189 | 1,030 | ▲ 52 |
| 2011 | 172 | 1,082 | ▲ 23 |
| 2010 | 173 | 1,105 | ▲ 167 |
| 2009 | 138 | 1,272 | ▼ 97 |
| 2008 | 152 | 1,175 | ▲ 88 |
| 2007 | 139 | 1,263 | ▲ 2 |
| 2006 | 132 | 1,265 | ▲ 37 |
| 2005 | 117 | 1,302 | ▼ 86 |
| 2004 | 125 | 1,216 | ▼ 75 |
| 2003 | 132 | 1,141 | ▲ 174 |
| 2002 | 101 | 1,315 | ▼ 73 |
| 2001 | 107 | 1,242 | ▲ 40 |
| 2000 | 101 | 1,282 | ▲ 311 |
| 1999 | 68 | 1,593 | ▲ 126 |
| 1998 | 59 | 1,719 | ▼ 239 |
| 1997 | 72 | 1,480 | ▼ 166 |
| 1996 | 83 | 1,314 | ▼ 207 |
| 1995 | 105 | 1,107 | ▲ 189 |
| 1994 | 81 | 1,296 | ▲ 342 |
| 1993 | 54 | 1,638 | ▼ 128 |
| 1992 | 59 | 1,510 | ▼ 363 |
| 1991 | 92 | 1,147 | ▲ 662 |
| 1990 | 43 | 1,809 | back (not recorded in 1983–1989) |
| 1982 | 5 | 6,386 | back (not recorded in 1981) |
| 1980 | 5 | 6,250 | back (not recorded in 1978–1979) |
| 1977 | 7 | 4,582 | ▲ 353 |
| 1976 | 6 | 4,935 | ▼ 994 |
| 1975 | 8 | 3,941 | back (not recorded in 1974) |
| 1973 | 5 | 5,101 | back (not recorded in 1972) |
| 1971 | 5 | 4,907 | new |
Briar by state
Briar ranks #73 in South Dakota (2025).
Rank by state 41 states
| State | Rank | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | 73 | 12 |
| North Dakota | 101 | 9 |
| Iowa | 106 | 29 |
| New Hampshire | 121 | 10 |
| Montana | 168 | 6 |
| Nebraska | 169 | 13 |
| Kansas | 172 | 19 |
| Idaho | 193 | 11 |
| Oklahoma | 196 | 20 |
| Utah | 197 | 23 |
| Wisconsin | 220 | 25 |
| Minnesota | 221 | 25 |
| West Virginia | 230 | 7 |
| Arkansas | 231 | 13 |
| Missouri | 238 | 26 |
| Indiana | 258 | 27 |
| Virginia | 288 | 29 |
| Oregon | 298 | 12 |
| Michigan | 306 | 29 |
| Tennessee | 335 | 24 |
| Louisiana | 342 | 13 |
| Ohio | 347 | 32 |
| Washington | 356 | 20 |
| Illinois | 384 | 27 |
| Texas | 415 | 81 |
| Pennsylvania | 428 | 25 |
| Kentucky | 443 | 9 |
| South Carolina | 467 | 10 |
| Mississippi | 514 | 5 |
| Georgia | 529 | 21 |
| North Carolina | 534 | 20 |
| Colorado | 536 | 10 |
| Connecticut | 540 | 5 |
| Arizona | 632 | 10 |
| Florida | 651 | 26 |
| Massachusetts | 682 | 7 |
| New Jersey | 774 | 9 |
| New York | 790 | 20 |
| Alabama | 819 | 5 |
| Maryland | 840 | 5 |
| California | 997 | 27 |
Notable people named Briar
- Briar Anne Nolet is a Canadian dancer and actress known as Richelle on The Next Step, a 2019 World of Dance competitor, and Salome in season 4 of The Chosen.
- Briar Gardner was a New Zealand potter and speech therapist.