Given name & surname · also Irish
Bree
“from the high hill; one who ascends”
Bree is a variant of Brianna. In Irish use, Brianna carries the interpretation “from the high hill; one who ascends.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Bree is a variant of Brianna. In Irish use, Brianna carries the interpretation “from the high hill; one who ascends.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Bree comes from Irish, and ultimately from Dutch.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
In English usage, Bree is a diminutive of Breanna. In English usage, Bree is a diminutive of BREYON.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1971. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Bree through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 9,304
- 17 boys · 9,287 girls
- Most popular year
- 2010
- 308 babies
- 2025
- 60
- #2,826 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −40%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 60 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,826 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 40.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 308 in 2010. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 10,012 as a first name in 2020; 719 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Bree’s family of names
In English usage, Bree is a diminutive of Breanna. Bree has a related form in Brianna. In English usage, Bree is a diminutive of BREYON.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Bree
- Bree TurnerAmerican actressborn 1977
- Brody DalleAustralian musicianborn 1979
- Briony ColeAustralian diver and swimmerborn 1983
- Bree WilliamsonCanadian actressborn 1979
- Bree SchaafAmerican bobsledder and skeleton racerborn 1980
- Bree CondonAmerican actress and modelborn 1986
- Bree RobertsonAustralian rhythmic gymnastborn 1982
- Bree SharpAmerican singer-songwriterborn 1975
- Bree MastersAustralian athletics competitorborn 1995
Characters named Bree: Bree Van de Kamp (fictional character on Desperate Housewives).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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If you love Bree, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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