Given name
Brigid
“high, exalted”
Brigid is a feminine given name from Irish, ultimately from Proto-Celtic.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Brigid goes back to Proto-Celtic *Brigantī, meaning “high, exalted.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
Brigid is a variant of Bridget. A possible origin is Irish, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Brigid developed from Brigit.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1917. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Brigid is a variant of Bridget. The history of Bridget gives this family its wider story. In mythological stories, Bridget is associated with the goddess of fire, wisdom, and poetry.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Brigid through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 6,504
- 0 boys · 6,504 girls
- Most popular year
- 2000
- 132 babies
- 2025
- 61
- #2,784 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −22%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 61 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,784 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 21.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 132 in 2000. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (6). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 6,302 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Brigid’s family of names
In English usage, Brigid developed from the Old Irish form Brigit. Brigid has a related form in Bridget. In Irish usage, Brigid has a conventional equivalent in the German form Brigitte.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Brigid has relatives in 3 languages.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Brigid
- Brigid of KildareIrish abbess and saint (c. 451 – 525)
- Brigid KosgeiKenyan long-distance runnerborn 1994
- Brigid BrannaghAmerican actressborn 1972
- Brigid BrophyBritish novelist, literary critic, polemicist (1929–1995)
- Brigid BazlenAmerican actress (1944-1989)
- Brigid BerlinAmerican actress and artist (1939-2020)
- Lady Brigid GuinnessEnglish noblewoman1920–1995
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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