boy's name
Bryant
BRY-unt
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 52,257
Bryant means noble or high, and the t is a French accident — Norman scribes added it to the Irish Brian, so the surname carries a letter the original name never had. Brian Boru is why the name never fell out of Irish use.
- Bryant is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in 1989, when 1,742 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 22,708 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Bryant 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 | 109 |
| 1890s | 162 |
| 1900s | 142 |
| 1910s | 498 |
| 1920s | 882 |
| 1930s | 780 |
| 1940s | 1,040 |
| 1950s | 2,256 |
| 1960s | 5,375 |
| 1970s | 6,218 |
| 1980s | 9,748 |
| 1990s | 10,007 |
| 2000s | 8,507 |
| 2010s | 4,724 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,486 |
What Bryant means
Bryant means noble, high or strong. The Irish original resists a single derivation, and the added t belongs to French orthography rather than to the name's sense.
Where Bryant comes from
Bryant is a surname from Brian, an Irish name generally read as noble or high, though its root is not fully settled. Norman French added a final t, as it did to other names ending in a vowel, and the spelling stuck as a hereditary surname. Brian Boru broke Viking power at Clontarf in 1014 and was killed in the battle, which is why the name is one of the few Irish ones that never fell out of use.
Bryant in use
Bryant peaked in the United States in 1989, when 1,742 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 1327th in the United States on 146 births, across 52,257 lifetime births. Our records carry it from 1880, though almost all of its volume falls after 1960.
How popular is Bryant?
In 2025, Bryant was given to 146 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Bryant 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 Bryant
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Bryant also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Bryant over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Bryant 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 Bryant
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Bryant — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Bryant
What does the name Bryant mean?
Noble or high — from the Irish Brian, whose root is not fully settled.
Why is there a t?
Norman French scribes added it. The Irish original has no t.
Who was Brian Boru?
The high king who broke Viking power at Clontarf in 1014 and died in the battle.
How popular is Bryant?
1327th in the United States, down from a 1989 peak of 1,742 births.
Is Bryant a girl's or a boy's name?
Bryant is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Bryant?
Bryant has 2 syllables.
Is Bryant a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Bryant currently ranks #1,327 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.