Bryan
Bryan is a masculine given name. It is a variant spelling of the masculine given name Brian.
Meaning & Origin of Bryan
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Bryan is a masculine given name. It is a variant spelling of the masculine given name Brian.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Origin & history
The Story of Bryan
Bryan first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1883, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1985, when 8,717 Bryans were born — ranking #48 that year. As of 2026, Bryan ranks #339 for baby boys with 1,021 births, falling sharply (-27%). In total, more than 391K Bryans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Bryan
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Bryan Adams (born 1959), Canadian musician
- Bryan Alberts (born 1994), American–Dutch basketball player
- Bryan Avery (1944–2017), British architect
- Bryan Breeding (born 1994), American singer
- Bryan Bresee (born 2001), American football player
- Bryan Brock , American football player
- Bryan Bronson , American hurdler
- Bryan Brown , Australian actor
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Bryan
Phonetically similar names — useful when Bryan is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bryan
What does the name Bryan mean?
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When was Bryan most popular?
In which U.S. states is Bryan most popular?
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About the name Bryan
Bryan is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1883 and has accumulated 391K births in the dataset. Bryan's peak popularity came in 1985 when it ranked #42. Use the chart and map above to compare Bryan's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1985 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "B" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.