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).