How common is the surname Bryan?

57,143 people in the United States had the surname Bryan in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 5,403 Americans. It ranked 585th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Bryan?

William Jennings Bryan, American politician (1860–1925), followed by Bob Bryan.

Where is the surname Bryan most common?

Wikidata records people named Bryan in the United States, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Antigua and Barbuda.

How do you pronounce Bryan?

Bryan is /ˈbɹaɪən/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Bryan getting more or less common?

More common. 55,269 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 57,143 in 2010, up 3.4%.

Is Bryan also a first name?

Yes. Bryan is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Bryan

An Irish patronymic surname, carried by 57,143 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈbɹaɪən/ 2 syllables Soundex B650 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Bryan is more common than 99.6% of them.

Origin

Irish origin

A surname from Irish [in turn originating as a patronymic] derived from Brian.

Bryan is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 880 Irish surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 57,143 people named Bryan in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 5,403 Americans. That is up 3.4% since 2000, when the Census counted 55,269.

#585

rank among US surnames

57,143

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+3.4%

change since 2000 (was #542)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#576	Holloway	58,040	5,320
#577	Lozano	57,779	5,344
#578	Rangel	57,549	5,365
#580	Hoover	57,497	5,370
#581	Arias	57,477	5,372
#583	Mora	57,464	5,373
#584	Valenzuela	57,383	5,380

Who is named Bryan

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

81% of people named Bryan identified as white (not Hispanic), 12% as Black (not Hispanic) and 3.8% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 81%
Black (not Hispanic) 12%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.8%
Two or more races 1.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Bryans

23 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

William Jennings Bryan
American politician (1860–1925)
Bob Bryan
American tennis player, born 1978
Mike Bryan
American tennis player, born 1978
David Bryan
American keyboardist, born 1962
Sabrina Bryan
American singer, born 1984
Luke Bryan
American country music singer, born 1976
Zach Bryan
American country musician, born 1996
Dora Bryan
British actress of stage, film and television (1923-2014)
Jimmy Bryan
American racecar driver, 1926–1960
Richard Bryan
American attorney and politician, born 1937
Jane Bryan
American actress; United States Federal Arts Commission member (1918–2009)
Zachery Ty Bryan
American actor, born 1981

Notable Bryans come mostly from the United States (21), the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1) and Antigua and Barbuda (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Brienne

Surnames that sound like Bryan

Bryan has the Soundex code B650, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code B650.

Other Irish surnames

All 880 Irish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Bryan come from?: Bryan is Irish in origin.
How common is the surname Bryan?: 57,143 people in the United States had the surname Bryan in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 5,403 Americans. It ranked 585th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Bryan?: In the 2010 Census, 81% of people named Bryan identified as white (not Hispanic), and 12% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Bryan?: William Jennings Bryan, American politician (1860–1925), followed by Bob Bryan.
Where is the surname Bryan most common?: Wikidata records people named Bryan in the United States, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Antigua and Barbuda.
How do you pronounce Bryan?: Bryan is /ˈbɹaɪən/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Bryan?: Bryan is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Bryan getting more or less common?: More common. 55,269 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 57,143 in 2010, up 3.4%.
What are other spellings of Bryan?: Brienne.
Is Bryan also a first name?: Yes. Bryan is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.