Given name
Brigit
“high, exalted”
Brigit is a feminine given name from Proto-Celtic, meaning “high, exalted.” It is used in Old Irish.
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
Brigit is a variant of Bridget. A possible origin is Irish, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
From Proto-Celtic *Brigantī (“high, exalted”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1954. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Brigit 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
Brigit through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,238
- 0 boys · 1,238 girls
- Most popular year
- 1976
- 46 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 2021. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 46 in 1976. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,263 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.
Brigit’s family of names
In Old Irish usage, Brigit has a later derivative in Brigid. Brigit has a related form in Bridget. In Norwegian usage, Brigit has a conventional equivalent in the German form Brigitte.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Brigit has relatives in 8 languages.
8 related names in 8 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.
Across languages 8
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Brigit
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Brigit, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Brigette
>99% girls
Bridgitte
>99% girls
Irisha
“woman from Ireland” · “man from Ireland”
>99% girls
Bridgette
Bridgette is a feminine given name.
>99% girls
Talli
“a legendary hero” · “of the morning dew”
>99% girls
Brigitta
>99% girls
Tarrah
“hill”
>99% girls
Didi
“a brokenhearted or raging woman”
>99% girls