The name of the municipality comes from the word brigilo, meaning 'little town'. The name comes from the village name in the two local languages. In Romansh the name is Breil [bʁɔjl] while in German it is Brigels [ˈbriːɡl̩s] .
History
While the area was settled in the late Roman era or Early Middle Ages, Breil/Brigels is first mentioned in 765 as
in Bregelo when the Bishop of Chur granted a farm in Breil/Brigels to
Disentis Abbey 
.