Briar is an English nature name for the "thorny shrub" of wild roses and brambles, from the Old English brer. Briar Rose, the name of Sleeping Beauty in the Grimm version and in the Disney film, gave the prickly word a fairy-tale shimmer. The name entered the US top 1000 for girls in 2015 and has advanced to number 400 in 2025, its best rank yet.