The first name Brontë
A boy’s name meaning “thunder”.
Pronounced /ˈbɹɑn.ti/ 2 syllables Male
Meaning and origin
Brontë means “thunder”.
Used by Patrick Brontë (1777–1861) as a rendering of Brunty, Prunty, an Anglicization of the Irish Ó Proinntigh (“descendant of a person named Proinnteach (“Generous”)”), with the diaeresis over the terminal ⟨e⟩ to indicate that the name has two syllables. He first registered in 1802 at St John’s College, Cambridge, as Branty or Brunty, later Brontë, and formally changed the spelling in adult life. Multiple theories exist to account for the change, including that he may have wished to hide his humble origins. As he would have been familiar with classical Greek as a man of letters, he may have chosen the name after Ancient Greek βροντή (brontḗ, “thunder”). One view, which biographer Clement Shorter proposed in 1896, is that he adapted his name to associate himself with Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, who was also Duke of Bronte (itself also of same Greek origin).
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 76 girls were named Brontë, making it the 526th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 1997, with 86 births (#374).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Brontë with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Brontë at birth, 1880–2025
In 2024, 14 girls born in the United States were named Brontë, the 7,660th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1992, when 131 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Famous people named Brontë
3 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Bronte CampbellAustralian swimmer, Olympic athlete, world champion, former world record-holder, born 1994
- Bronte BarrattAustralian swimmer, Olympic gold medallist, world champion, former world record-holder, born 1989
- Bronte HalliganAustralian water polo player, born 1996
Questions
- What does the name Brontë mean?
- Brontë means “thunder”.
- How popular is the name Brontë?
- In 2025, 76 girls born in England and Wales were named Brontë, ranking 526th. Its peak was 1997, with 86 births.
- Is Brontë a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 98% of the 932 US babies named Brontë since 1880 were girls.
- When was Brontë most popular?
- 1992 in the United States, when 131 babies were named Brontë, its highest rank at 1,295th.
- How do you pronounce Brontë?
- Brontë is /ˈbɹɑn.ti/, 2 syllables.