# O'Brien (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/obrien/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Irish.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Irish |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 118,557 |
| US rank (2010) | 258 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 2,604 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.7% (115,385 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /oʊˈbɹaɪən/, 3 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Anglicisation of the Irish surname Ó Briain, meaning “descendant of Brian”.

## Who carries it

Share of people named O'Brien in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 94% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 1.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 1.4% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named O'Brien in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada.

## People named O'Brien

- Conan O'Brien, American television show host and comedian
- Dylan O'Brien, American actor (born 1991)
- Edmond O'Brien, American actor (1915–1985)
- Margaret O'Brien, American film, television and stage actress
- Keith O'Brien, British catholic cardinal (1938–2018)
- Dan O'Brien, American athlete
- Parry O'Brien, Athletics competitor, shot putter (1932-2007)
- George O'Brien, American actor (1899–1985)
- Pat O'Brien, American film actor (1899-1983)
- Pat O'Brien, American guitarist
- Robert C. O'Brien, American lawyer and politician
- Tim O'Brien, American novelist (born 1946)

and 50 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

O'Brian, Obyrne, O'Beirne, O'Bryan, Obryant, Obriant, Oberman, Overman, Opperman, Overmyer, Obermeyer.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.