Berit
Feminine · “the exalted one”
An Irish goddess became a Swedish saint. Brigid was a pre-Christian Irish figure and then a fifth-century abbess; the name traveled to Scandinavia; a fourteenth-century Swedish noblewoman called Birgitta founded an order and became the patron saint of her country. Berit is what Norwegian and Swedish speech did to her name.
How old is the name Berit?
Berit first appears in US birth records in 1958 — 67 years ago. The typical Berit alive today was born around 2001, making them about 24 years old. About 700 people named Berit are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Berit most popular?
Berit peaked in 1959, reaching #4031 nationally. Today it ranks #11932, 7,901 places below that high. See the whole 1959 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Brighid to Berit
The story of Berit
Brigid was one of the most important figures in pre-Christian Ireland and then, without much of a break, one of the most important saints in Christian Ireland, which is unusual enough that historians still argue about how much of the second is the first. Her name spread to Britain and Scandinavia with Irish monks. Birgitta of Sweden, who lived in the fourteenth century, had visions, founded an order, argued with popes and was canonized within twenty years of her death; Sweden made her a patron saint and her name ordinary. Berit and Birgit are the everyday forms, and they reached American records with Norwegian and Swedish families in the last century.
Meaning
the exalted one
Through Swedish Birgitta from Irish Brighid, from a word meaning exalted or high. Berit is the Scandinavian short form, long since given alone. A Hebrew word spelled the same way, berit, means covenant — as in the covenant of circumcision — and is entirely unrelated.
How the name formed
- Brighid
- Birgitta
- Birgit
- Berit
Related forms: Berit · Berit · Brighid · Birgit
Pronouncing Berit
BEH-rit
Two syllables, stress on the first, both vowels short. Americans often say buh-RIT, moving the weight to the end, which is not the Scandinavian shape but is understood.
Nicknames for Berit
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1958
- Most girls named
- 200625 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #4031reached in 1959
- Change vs 2024
- −30.0%7 in 2025, from 10
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Berit in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Berit in Norwegian — same name
- Berit in Swedish — same name
- Brighid in Irish — related form
- Birgit in German — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: Minnesota.
Berits among us
people named Berit are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 229,610 born in 2025 was named Berit
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Dama test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Berit's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Dama climbed just as high around 1925, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Dama's path sketches the road Berit is walking now.
Berit sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Berit beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Berit in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning traceable through three languages without a gap.
- It is a completely current name in Norway and Sweden rather than a revival.
- Five letters and two syllables, with nothing hard in either.
- Americans move the stress to the second syllable, which changes the name noticeably.
- It is close enough to Beret, Bridget and Merit to be misheard as any of them.
- The Hebrew word it coincides with means covenant, and Jewish readers will notice.
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What they receive
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Berit
Feminine · #11932 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Berits are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Berit are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Berit in 2025?
- Berit ranks #11932 among US girl names in 2025, with 7 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Berit?
- About 1 in every 229,610 US girls born in 2025 was named Berit — 7 in all.
- Will my child share the name Berit with classmates?
- Berit will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Berit
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Vina#11932 · Retta#11932 · Missouri#11932 · Iola#11932 · Eddie#11932 · Thomas#11932 · Louetta#11932 · Elvina#11932
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Berit? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Berit and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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