UK girl's name
Brigitte
A feminine name of French origin meaning "exalted one" or "strength".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Brigitte is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Brigitte popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4709, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2005, with 6 births.
This profile covers 56 England and Wales registrations across 14 recorded years from 1998 to 2023. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 67% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 56 living people in the UK are called Brigitte. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2024 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Brigitte ranked #4709 for girls in England and Wales in 2023, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2005, when 6 girls were registered as Brigitte.
- • About 56 living people in the UK are estimated to have Brigitte as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4709
2023
Births in 2023
4
Latest year
Peak year
2005
6 births
Estimated living
56
2026
Meaning
What does Brigitte mean?
The name Brigitte originates from the Irish Gaelic word "brígh", meaning strength or vigor. It is a feminine form of the male name Bríghíd, which is anglicized as Bridget. The name gained popularity after Saint Brigid of Kildare, one of the three patron saints of Ireland, who lived in the 5th century.
Brigitte is a variant spelling of the name that is more commonly used in French and German-speaking regions. In French, the name is pronounced as "bree-zhit", while in German it is pronounced as "bri-gi-teh". The name was particularly popular in medieval Europe, with several historical figures bearing this name.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Brigitte is Brigitte of Sweden, a Swedish princess who lived in the 14th century. Another notable historical figure with this name is Brigitte Bardot, the French actress and singer born in 1934, who was a major sex symbol and fashion icon in the 1950s and 1960s.
In the 16th century, Brigitte de Suède, a Swedish princess and Catholic saint, played a significant role in the Catholic revival in Sweden. She was born in 1303 and died in 1373. Around the same time, Brigitte of Göttingen, a German mystic and writer, lived from 1292 to 1351.
In the 19th century, Brigitte Kurenbach, a German painter and illustrator, was born in 1833 and died in 1899. She was known for her illustrations of fairy tales and children's books.
Another notable figure with the name Brigitte is Brigitte Helm, a German actress who starred in the 1927 silent film "Metropolis". She was born in 1906 and died in 1996.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Brigitte over time
The chart below shows babies named Brigitte registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1998 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Brigitte, the clearest high point is 2005. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2023, compared with 6 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brigitte by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Brigitte was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #5320 | 10 | 3 |
| 2010s | #4502 | 18 | 4 |
| 2000s | #4275 | 23 | 6 |
| 1990s | #2701 | 5 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Brigitte
- Bethany 43,226
- Brooke 18,370
- Bella 14,112
- Bonnie 12,149
- Beatrice 11,306
- Bethan 7,968
- Beth 6,440
- Betsy 5,065
- Beatrix 4,317
- Billie 4,220
- Beau 3,231
- Bryony 3,167
FAQ
Brigitte: questions and answers
How popular is the name Brigitte in the UK right now?
In 2023, Brigitte was ranked #4709 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Brigitte most popular?
The peak year on record was 2005, with 6 babies registered as Brigitte in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Brigitte?
A feminine name of French origin meaning "exalted one" or "strength".
How many people are called Brigitte in the UK?
A total of 56 babies have been registered as Brigitte across the 14 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.