Brian

“Irish, from Old Breton Brient; possibly 'noble, high, or valiant'” — Irish (Breton ties) origin

Boy's name · #339 in the US (2025) · Retro

Brian reached #8 in 1970 and has faded to #339 since. About 1.2 million boys have carried it since 1909. Bri is a short form of Brian. Together with its spelling variant Bryan (#336), Brian would rank around #186 with about 2,000 births last year — the newborns split about 51/49 between Bryan and Brian. Popular twin pairings with Brian include Brandon for a boy, and Brianna for a girl.

Around the world: about 1 in 1,000 boys in N. Ireland (2025) · about 1 in 1,200 boys in Puerto Rico (2025) · about 1 in 1,300 boys in Ireland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 42 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Brians

Brian May — British musician (born 1947)
Brian David Josephson — Welsh physicist
Brian Schmidt — American-born Australian astrophysicist
Brian De Palma — American film director and screenwriter
Brian Eno — British musician, music producer, music theorist and visual artist (born 1948)

In stories & tradition

Brian (Albus Dumbledore) — Harry Potter · Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Brian Griffin — Family Guy
Brian (Brad Bellick) — Prison Break

What Brians become

Among 7,229 notable people named Brian:

Sports figures appear 1.96× more often than among typical names — e.g. Brian Clough, English football player and manager (1935–2004).

Similar names: Bryan · Kevin · Bryce · Scott · Ryan · Shawn

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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