Bryan

Bryan: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “high, noble”
Origin: Celtic
Say it: BRY-un · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Briain, from the personal name Brian. Bryan is a common spelling variant of Brian.

Irish names English names Names meaning noble Classic names International names

How popular is Bryan?

2024332 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Bryan in 20241,105

2024 rank#305 boys

Peak year1977

Total US babies since 1880390,298

Bryan is fading: recent use is about 40% of its level ten years before.

Names like Bryan

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Briannahigh; noble; exalted · Celtic
Brianhigh, noble · Irish
Brianahigh, noble · Celtic
Breannamodern form of Briana · American (modern coinage)
Bryanahigh, noble · Celtic
Briannehigh, noble · Celtic
Breannhigh, noble, exalted · Celtic
GaelGaelic person · Celtic

Bryan questions

What does the name Bryan mean?

Bryan means "high, noble". It comes from Celtic. Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Briain, from the personal name Brian. Bryan is a common spelling variant of Brian.

Is Bryan a boy or girl name?

Bryan is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Bryan?

1,105 US babies were named Bryan in 2024. Its peak year was 1977.

How do you pronounce Bryan?

Bryan is usually pronounced BRY-un.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.