boy's name
Bryan
BRY-an
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 429,537
the United States
#336
2025 births
Bryan is a boy's name of Irish origin whose meaning is unsettled — noble and high are both proposed. It charts in all seven markets we track within a range of under two hundred places, which is one of the tightest spreads on this site.
- Bryan is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in 1985, when 8,788 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,299 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1883.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Bryan over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 11 |
| 1890s | 405 |
| 1900s | 197 |
| 1910s | 462 |
| 1920s | 1,162 |
| 1930s | 1,295 |
| 1940s | 3,976 |
| 1950s | 20,670 |
| 1960s | 55,512 |
| 1970s | 71,748 |
| 1980s | 81,081 |
| 1990s | 59,993 |
| 2000s | 62,117 |
| 2010s | 25,738 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 6,939 |
What Bryan means
Bryan is usually given as noble or high, inherited from Brian. The Old Irish element behind it is not securely identified, so both readings are proposals rather than established facts.
Where Bryan comes from
Bryan is a spelling variant of Brian, whose Irish derivation is genuinely unresolved — proposals include an element meaning high or noble, one meaning a hill, and one meaning strength, and none works cleanly. The bearer who fixed the name is Brian Boru, high king of Ireland, killed at Clontarf in 1014 at the moment his forces broke Norse power. The y-spelling is largely an American development and became common enough in the twentieth century to be a name in its own right rather than a misspelling, which is why our records hold it separately with 423,226 births of its own.
Bryan in use
Bryan peaked in the United States in 1985, when 8,788 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in all seven markets within a strikingly narrow band — 299th in Canada, 323rd in Northern Ireland, 336th in the United States on 1,005 births, 339th in Scotland, 384th in Ireland, 401st in France on 120 and 501st in England and Wales. A spread of under two hundred places across seven countries is unusual, and suggests a name adopted at much the same time everywhere rather than radiating from one market.
How popular is Bryan?
In 2025, Bryan was given to 1,005 babies in the United States, ranking #336 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Bryan is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Bryan
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Bryan also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Bryan over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Bryan
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Bryan in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Dutch
- Brian
Sibling names for Bryan
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Bryan — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Bryan
What does the name Bryan mean?
Usually noble or high, inherited from Brian — though the Old Irish element is not securely identified.
Is it Bryan or Brian?
Brian is the traditional Irish spelling; Bryan is largely an American variant and is now a name in its own right.
Where is Bryan used?
All six markets we track, from 323rd in Northern Ireland to 501st in England and Wales — an unusually tight spread.
How popular is Bryan?
336th in the United States, down from a 1985 peak of 8,788 births.
Is Bryan a girl's or a boy's name?
Bryan is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Bryan?
Bryan has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Bryan?
Bryan is usually shortened to Bry.
Is Bryan a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Bryan currently ranks #299 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.