Brian
Celtic, most often read as “high” or “noble,” from Old Irish bri.
Popularity, 1880–2025
The medieval high king Brian Boru made it an Irish icon, and Irish-American families made it a midcentury staple.
Brian first shows up in the national records in 1909. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1947 to 2009. It spent 13 years inside the top 10. Its biggest year was 1972, when 36,306 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 8 nationally. In 2025 it ranked No. 339 for boys. All told, 1,178,298 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Bryan (391,306), Brynn (30,211), Brianne (20,504), Bryon (14,737), Bryn (8,861), Brien (3,593) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Brianna, Briana, Breanna
Explore Brian interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 5 | No. 1440 |
| 1910s | 116 | No. 1387 |
| 1920s | 566 | No. 557 |
| 1930s | 3,173 | No. 176 |
| 1940s | 22,793 | No. 86 |
| 1950s | 112,336 | No. 22 |
| 1960s | 258,129 | No. 9 |
| 1970s | 322,660 | No. 8 |
| 1980s | 233,993 | No. 12 |
| 1990s | 119,309 | No. 27 |
| 2000s | 69,775 | No. 43 |
| 2010s | 24,107 | No. 101 |
| 2020s | 6,773 | No. 271 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.