Brewer
Brewer was the 804th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 310 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,717 places. More babies were named Brewer in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning one who brews ale or beer · English
Say it BROO-er /ˈbruər/
- Rank in 2025
- #804 boys, up 1,111 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 310boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025310 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,404babies recorded
What does the name Brewer mean?
Brewer is an English occupational surname for someone who brewed ale or beer, as Wiktionary and Wikipedia agree. The word comes from Middle English brewen, from Old English breowan, "to brew". Wikipedia mentions a second, rarer origin from Old French bruiere, "heath", for families named after a place. As a first name it is a recent transfer from the surname.
brēowan (Old English, “to brew”)
How sure is this? Probable. Mainly occupational; Wikipedia notes a less common origin from Old French bruiere, 'heath'.
See also: English names, names from occupations.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Brewer', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Brewer (surname)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th ed., entry 'brewer' (etymology), HarperCollins / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Brewer popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 14 since 2024, 9 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #804 | 310 |
| 2020 | #1,915 | 77 |
| 2010 | #4,119 | 24 |
| 2000 | — | — |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | #4,063 | 5 |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Brewer, counting every spelling?
Brewer is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #767 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #804 for Brewer on its own. Together these spellings went to 323 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brewer | 310 | #804 | 792 |
| Bruer | 13 | #6,512 | 26 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Brewer?
310 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Brewer (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Brewer born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 27 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Brewer.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Brewer?
About 1,300 people born in the US named Brewer are alive today, with a median age of 4; half are between 2 and 10. That makes Brewer a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Brewer by state
How common Brewer was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Tennessee (3.3×), Kentucky (2.6×), Alabama (2.2×), Missouri (2.1×), Indiana (2.0×). In 27 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Brewer: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Brewer, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Brewer · Sibling names for Brewer
Questions about the name Brewer
What does Brewer mean?
Brewer means “one who brews ale or beer” (English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Brewer?
Brewer was the 804th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 310 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,717 places. More babies were named Brewer in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Brewer a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Brewer in the US.
Where is Brewer most popular?
In 2021–2025, Brewer was most common in Tennessee (0.30 per 1,000 boys), followed by Kentucky and Alabama.