How common is the surname Ryan?

143,452 people in the United States had the surname Ryan in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,152 Americans. It ranked 193rd of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Ryan?

Meg Ryan, American actress (born 1961), followed by Debby Ryan.

Where is the surname Ryan most common?

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

How do you pronounce Ryan?

Ryan is /ˈɹaɪən/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Ryan getting more or less common?

More common. 139,335 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 143,452 in 2010, up 3.0%.

Is Ryan also a first name?

Yes. Ryan 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 Ryan

An Irish patronymic surname, carried by 143,452 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈɹaɪən/ 2 syllables Soundex R500 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). Ryan is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

Irish origin

A surname from Irish, an anglicization of Ó Riaghain, Ó Riain (literally “descendant of Riaghan, Rian”).

Ryan 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 143,452 people named Ryan in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,152 Americans. That is up 3.0% since 2000, when the Census counted 139,335.

#193

rank among US surnames

143,452

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+3%

change since 2000 (was #177)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#184	Rice	149,500	2,065
#185	Schmidt	147,034	2,100
#186	Garza	147,005	2,100
#187	Daniels	146,570	2,106
#188	Ferguson	146,426	2,109
#189	Nichols	145,584	2,121
#190	Stephens	144,646	2,134

Who is named Ryan

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

92% of people named Ryan identified as white (not Hispanic), 3.0% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.5% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 92%
Black (not Hispanic) 3.0%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.5%
Two or more races 1.5%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.4%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Ryans

73 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Meg Ryan
American actress (born 1961)
Debby Ryan
American singer and actress (born 1993)
Kate Ryan
Belgian singer and songwriter, born 1980
Mathew Ryan
Australian association football player, born 1992
Robert Ryan
American actor (1909-1973)
Jeri Ryan
American actress, born 1968
Amy Ryan
American actress (born 1968)
Mitchell Ryan
American actor (1934–2022)
Michelle Ryan
British actress, born 1984
Leo Ryan
American politician (1925–1978)
Nolan Ryan
American baseball player (born 1947)
Tim Ryan
American politician (born 1973)

Notable Ryans come mostly from the United States (58), Australia (10) and the United Kingdom (3).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Rian
Ryann
Ryanne
Ryana

Surnames that sound like Ryan

Ryan has the Soundex code R500, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code R500.

Other Irish surnames

All 880 Irish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Ryan come from?: Ryan is Irish in origin.
How common is the surname Ryan?: 143,452 people in the United States had the surname Ryan in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,152 Americans. It ranked 193rd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Ryan?: In the 2010 Census, 92% of people named Ryan identified as white (not Hispanic), and 3.0% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Ryan?: Meg Ryan, American actress (born 1961), followed by Debby Ryan.
Where is the surname Ryan most common?: Wikidata records people named Ryan in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 2 other countries.
How do you pronounce Ryan?: Ryan is /ˈɹaɪən/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Ryan?: Ryan is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Ryan getting more or less common?: More common. 139,335 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 143,452 in 2010, up 3.0%.
What are other spellings of Ryan?: Rian, Ryann, Ryanne and Ryana.
Is Ryan also a first name?: Yes. Ryan 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.