Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Britney

Britney is a modern English form of Brittany, one of the six Celtic nations (located in a region of northwest France). The six Celtic “nations” are determined by their shared language and cultural heritage and are either from the Celtic Gaelic branch or the Brythonic branch. Those from the Brythonic branch are Brittany, Wales and Cornwall. Those from the Gaelic branch are Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. The word “Brittany” comes from the French word “Bretagne” meaning “from Briton” to indicate the Britons from Cornwall and Devon who originally settled in this particular region of France. In the 5th century, England (formally known by its Latin name Britannia or its native Celtic name Breton/Briton) was abandoned by the occupying Roman soldiers who, preoccupied with their own collapsing empire, were called back to Rome. This left England vulnerable to invading barbarians known as the Anglo-Saxon Germanic tribes. Upon the establishment of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex, the die-hard Celtic people of Cornwall and Devon fled to the northwest region of France and established Brittany as refugees. Today, Brittany remains a cultural province of France and is distinguished for its lively Celtic heritage. In fact, third only to Ireland and Wales, the area known as Brittany has the highest number of native Celtic-speaking people. Geographically beautiful, steeped in rich history and culturally vibrant, Brittany remains one of the most interesting regions in Western Europe. As a female given name, Brittany became rapidly popular near the end of the 20th century and was readily used by most English-speaking nations. As Brittany’s popularity soared as a name for baby girls, other spelling variations began to emerge. Britney is the version bestowed upon pop-superstar Britney Spears (b. 1981).

All About the Baby Name – Britney

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME BRITNEY

The Three energy is powerful and enthusiastic. These personalities are cheerful, full of self-expression, and often quite emotional. They have an artistic flair and "gift-of-gab" that makes them natural entertainers. Their joyfulness bubbles over, and their infectious exuberance draws a crowd. The Three personality is like a child - forever young and full of delight. They are charming, witty, and generally happy people. The Three personality lives in the "now" and has a spontaneous nature. Threes seem to live with a bright and seemingly unbreakable aura that attracts others to them. In turn, they are deeply loyal and loving to their friends and family. Luck also has a tendency to favor number Threes.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME BRITNEY

Brittany first surfaced in America as a female given name in 1971; by 1980 the name was clearly headed for the Top 100 list. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that Britney would appear as an alternate spelling in 1980. There are a couple of interesting facts to point out about the Britney spelling. For one, it reached as high as #118 on the charts in 1989 (her best year ever). Incidentally, that same year Brittany was the third most popular name nationwide (surpassed only by Jessica and Ashley). So obviously, the two-syllable Britney was riding the coattails of the soft three-syllable Brittany – basically mirroring her big sister’s success on the American popularity charts (just to a lesser extent). The second interesting factoid about Britney comes in the year 1999, just when it looked like the name was headed downwards for good, it abruptly reversed its course and jumped a whopping 250+ positions on the charts in a single year. That was the same year Britney Spears released her first studio album “...Baby One More Time”. Today, however, both Brittany and Britney are no longer at the height of naming fashion. Once “the” poster child for the 1980s and 90s, Brittany and her sisters are now taking a break from past over usage. Britney, especially, is being asked to step aside for the likes of Adele, Rihanna, Selena and Taylor (is anyone naming their baby daughters Gaga?)

Quick Facts

ON BRITNEY

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

Celtic

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

836

PRONUNCIATION:

BRIT-nee

SIMPLE MEANING:

From Briton (Brittany, a region of northwest France)

Characteristics

OF BRITNEY

Communicative

Creative

Optimistic

Popular

Social

Dramatic

Happy

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Britney

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME BRITNEY

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Britney

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME BRITNEY

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Britney


Popular Songs

ON BRITNEY

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Britney


Famous People

NAMED BRITNEY

Britney Spears (pop-icon)
Britney Simpson (figure skater)

Children of Famous People

NAMED BRITNEY

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Britney

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME BRITNEY

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Britney