Bristol

BRIS-tuhl

Place-name

"the site of the bridge"

Bristol Origin and Meaning

The name Bristol is a girl's name of English origin meaning "the site of the bridge".

Bristol Palin, the daughter of former Alaska governor and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, grabbed her own share of headlines after her pregnancy and having appearing on Dancing With The Stars. She subsequently (almost) single-handedly propelled her distinctive name, derived from the name of a city in England, into the Top 1000 and up the charts.

A very rare name before 2008 when Palin's mother was chosen as the Republican's vice president running mate, Bristol had sky-rocketed by 2009 when it made the charts. The number of girls called Bristol doubled between 2007 and 2008 when it was given to 65 babies. The following year, it was seven times more popular again, given to around 440 girls.

Bristol Palin was named in honor of the Bristol Inn where her mother was employed, along with Bristol, Connecticut , and Bristol Bay, Alaska, where her father spent his childhood. Meaning "the site of the bridge", it could also be a nod to the English city and to American Independence Day, as the Bristol 4th July Parade in Rhode Island is one of the longest running celebrations of the event.

Bristol remains in the US Top 1000 but it had seen a decline in use in recent years. Given to 573 girls in a recent year (along with 11 boys), it is a slightly off-beat yet familiar choice.

Bristol Rank in US Top 1000

# 527 in the US

Popularity of the name Bristol

• 527 US 2023
• 248 Future 2028

20 Names Similar to Bristol

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Bristol.

• Blakeley
• Marlee
• Indi
• Dallas
• Baylor
• Bentley
• Chase
• Ireland
• Remington
• Haisley
• Asher
• Mazie
• Austin
• Andi
• Tyler
• Huntley
• Easton
• Capri
• Denver
• Shae

Famous People Named Bristol

• Bristol Sheeran Marie Palin American TV personality and daughter of politician Sarah Palin
• Bristol Gail Brooks (b. 2016) daughter of country music singer Doug Stone

The name Bristol in Pop Culture

• Bristol City in South West England
• Bristol Bay Alaska
• Bristol Cities cockney rhyming slang
• Bristol minor character in Melody Carlson's "Never Been Kissed"