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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 has appeared in US records since 1909 — best rank #8 (1970) · 1,173,735 babies named Brian all-time · 1 in 1,800 boys born in 2025.

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 7,227 notable people named Brian:

Athletes appear 1.97× more often than among typical names — e.g. Brian Clough, English football player and manager (1935–2004).

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

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