How common is the surname O'Brien?

118,557 people in the United States had the surname O'Brien in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,604 Americans. It ranked 258th of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname O'Brien?

In the 2010 Census, 94% of people named O'Brien identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

Who is the most famous person named O'Brien?

Conan O'Brien, American television show host and comedian, followed by Dylan O'Brien.

Where is the surname O'Brien most common?

Wikidata records people named O'Brien in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 2 other countries.

How do you pronounce O'Brien?

O'Brien is /oʊˈbɹaɪən/, 3 syllables.

Is the surname O'Brien getting more or less common?

More common. 115,385 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 118,557 in 2010, up 2.7%.

The surname O'Brien

An Irish patronymic surname, carried by 118,557 people in the United States.

Pronounced /oʊˈbɹaɪən/ 3 syllables Soundex O165

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). O'Brien is more common than 99.8% of them.

Origin

Irish origin

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

O'Brien 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 118,557 people named O'Brien in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,604 Americans. That is up 2.7% since 2000, when the Census counted 115,385.

#258

rank among US surnames

118,557

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+2.7%

change since 2000 (was #234)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#249	Maldonado	121,526	2,541
#250	Morrison	121,130	2,549
#251	Franklin	120,621	2,560
#252	Carlson	120,552	2,561
#253	Austin	119,706	2,579
#254	Dominguez	119,304	2,588
#255	Carr	119,076	2,593

Who is named O'Brien

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

94% of people named O'Brien identified as white (not Hispanic), 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race) and 1.4% as two or more races.

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous O'Briens

62 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Conan O'Brien
American television show host and comedian, born 1963
Dylan O'Brien
American actor (born 1991)
Edmond O'Brien
American actor (1915–1985)
Margaret O'Brien
American film, television and stage actress, born 1937
Keith O'Brien
British catholic cardinal (1938–2018)
Dan O'Brien
American athlete, born 1966
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, born 1965
Robert C. O'Brien
American lawyer and politician, born 1966
Tim O'Brien
American novelist (born 1946)

Notable O'Briens come mostly from the United States (51), Australia (5) and the United Kingdom (4).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like O'Brien

O'Brien has the Soundex code O165, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code O165.

Other Irish surnames

All 880 Irish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname O'Brien come from?: Anglicisation of the Irish surname Ó Briain, meaning “descendant of Brian”.
How common is the surname O'Brien?: 118,557 people in the United States had the surname O'Brien in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,604 Americans. It ranked 258th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname O'Brien?: In the 2010 Census, 94% of people named O'Brien identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
Who is the most famous person named O'Brien?: Conan O'Brien, American television show host and comedian, followed by Dylan O'Brien.
Where is the surname O'Brien most common?: Wikidata records people named O'Brien in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 2 other countries.
How do you pronounce O'Brien?: O'Brien is /oʊˈbɹaɪən/, 3 syllables.
What type of surname is O'Brien?: O'Brien is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname O'Brien getting more or less common?: More common. 115,385 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 118,557 in 2010, up 2.7%.