Given name & surname
Briar
“resembling a thorny plant”
Briar is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “resembling a thorny plant.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “resembling a thorny plant.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
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
Briar through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 13,349
- 6,347 boys · 7,002 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 1,175 babies
- 2025
- 1,175
- #400 for girls · #686 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +40%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 38% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 778 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 400 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 39.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 397 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (81). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 7,060 as a first name in 2020; 461 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.
Briar’s family of names
Briar has a related form in Bryar. Briar has a related form in Bryer. Briar has a related form in Brier.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Briar
- Briar NoletCanadian actress and dancer (born 1998)
- Briar Schwaller-HürlimannSwiss female curlerborn 1993
- Briar Grace-SmithMāori Scriptwriterborn 1966
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Briar, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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