Given name & surname
Britta
“a glorious woman”
In German use, Britta is a variant of Berit. One German interpretation is “a glorious woman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In German use, Britta is a variant of Berit. One German interpretation is “a glorious woman.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Britta is a form of Birgitta. Birgitta comes from Old Irish.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
In German usage, Britta is a short form of Brigitte.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1916. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Britta through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,682
- 0 boys · 3,682 girls
- Most popular year
- 1986
- 191 babies
- 2025
- 14
- #7,558 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −38%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 14 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 7,558 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 38.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 191 in 1986. In 2025, Minnesota had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,836 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.
Britta’s family of names
In German usage, Britta is a short form of Brigitte. Britta has a related form in Brett. In Swedish usage, Britta has a related form in Bridget.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
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.
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Britta
- Britta SteffenGerman swimmerborn 1983
- Britta HeidemannGerman fencerborn 1982
- Britta OppeltGerman rowerborn 1978
- Britta BilačGerman-Slovene high jumperborn 1968
- Britta Johansson NorgrenSwedish cross-country skierborn 1983
- Britta ThomsenDanish politicianborn 1954
- Britta Beckerfield hockey playerborn 1973
- Britta Schall HolbergDanish journalist1941–2022
- Britta BütheGerman beach volleyball playerborn 1988
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Britta, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Erica
“ever the ruler”
>99% girls
Kristiina
“follower of Christ”
>99% girls
Kirsten
“follower of Christ”
>99% girls
Rikki
“a powerful ruler”
1% boys · 99% girls
Torri
Torri is a surname, possibly from Old Swedish. It is used in Finnish and Faroese.
6% boys · 94% girls
Kela
“crank”
>99% girls
Karina
“one who is dear and pure”
>99% girls
Ronya
Ronya is a feminine given name from Swedish, ultimately from Russian.
>99% girls