Brian

Irish

"strong, virtuous, and honorable"

Brian Origin and Meaning

The name Brian is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "strong, virtuous, and honorable".

The origins of the name Brian are not entirely clear, but it is suspected that it evolved from an Old Celtic word related to nobility. In Ireland the name is associated with Brian Boru, the most famous of all Irish warrior-kings, credited with driving the Vikings out of Ireland around the year 1000.

Like other native Irish names, Brian was outlawed in Ireland during the centuries of British rule, restored to use after the war for Irish independence in 1916. Irish immigrants propelled it onto the US Top 1000 list for the first time in 1925.

Because it was outlawed for so long, Brian may feel like a less classic and ancient name than it really is. Its massive popularity in the 1970s, when it ranked in the Top 10, makes it one of today's quintessential Dad Names.

While Brian has been trending downward in the US for decades, it still ranks solidly in the Top 1000, where it will likely remain for decades to come. Bryan, Bryant, and Brianna are common variations.

Brian has some pretty diverse associations—to newscaster Williams, the movie Monty Python's Life of Brian and as Marilyn Manson's real name.

Brian Rank in US Top 1000

# 317 in the US

Brian Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 400 on Nameberry

Brian Popularity

• 317 US 2023
• 400 Nameberry 2024
• 501 England 2021
• 91 Ireland 2012
• 77 Portugal 2014

20 Names Similar to Brian

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Brian.

• Brandon
• Christine
• Kierra
• Craig
• Joe
• Boyne
• Jordan
• Don
• Tereza
• Rhonda
• Justin
• Kyle
• Briana
• Bryan
• Tyler
• Lathan
• Brendan
• Brenda
• Bryce
• Mark

Famous People Named Brian

• Brian Boru King of Ireland
• Brian Douglas Williams American broadcast journalist
• Brian Eno (aka Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno) English musician
• (Martin) Brian Mulroney 18th prime minister of Canada
• Brian Russell de Palma American film director
• Brian Manion Dennehy American actor
• Brian Anthony Boitano American figure skater
• Brian McKnight American singer
• Brian Austin Green American actor
• Brian Samuel Epstein English manager of The Beatles
• Brian Edward Gottfried American tennis player
• Brian Holden American actor, singer, writer
• Brian Minchin British TV producer
• Brian Douglas Wilson American musician of The Beach Boys
• (Louis) Brian Piccolo American NFL football player, subject of film "Brian's Song"
• Brian Howard Clough English footballer and manager
• Brian de la Puente American football player
• Brian Kerwin American actor
• Brian Urlacher American football player
• Brian Denis Cox Scottish actor
• Brian Regan American comedian
• Brian Justin Crum American musician
• Brian Rosenthal American actor and singer
• Brian Thomas "B Rok" Littrell, American singer of the Backstreet Boys
• Brian Logan Dales lead singer of American band The Summer Set
• Brian Leo Bianchini American model/actor
• Brian May guitarist for British band Queen
• Brian Hallisay American actor
• Brian Howe American actor
• Brian Phillip "Head" Welch guitarist for American band Korn
• Brian 'Astro' Bradley American actor and Rapper
• Brian 'Q' Quinn American comedian from The Tenderloins and Impractical Jokers
• Brian Awadis aka FaZe Rug American YouTuber
• Brian Sean O'Connor (b. 2007) son of American television personality Kevin O'Connor
• Brian Jones Multi,instrumentalist and rhythm guitarist for The Rolling Stones
• Brian Ross Weitz musician and founding member of the band Animal Collective
• Brian Johnson lead singer of AC/DC
• Brian Kang/Kang Yonghyun bassist, singer, songwriter, and rapper of the South Korean band Day6; more popularly known by his stage name Young K
• Brian Firkus American musician, TV personality, and drag queen
• Brian Timothy Geraghty American actor
• Brian Theodore Deneke (b. 1978) 19 year old American man who was killed in a hit and run attack for being a punk rock musician

Brian in Pop Culture

• Sir Brian de Bois Guilbert, character in "Ivanhoe" by Sir Walter Scott
• Brian Griffin dog character on "Family Guy"
• Brian Cohen main character in 1979 film "Monty Python's Life of Brian"
• Mr. Brian Fitzpatrick character in “Tom Jones” (1746)
• Brian Kinney character on "Queer as Folk"
• Brian Finn character in "Keeping the Faith"
• Brian O'Conner character in "Fast and the Furious" series
• Brian Johnson character in film "The Breakfast Club"
• Brian Shelby character in film "Vanilla Sky"
• Brian Harding character in videogame "Dream Daddy"
• Brian Davis main character on TV series "What About Brian?"
• Brian Dufford character in webcomic "Camp Weedonwantcha"
• Brian Marsh character in "Prince of Darkness"
• Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore character in Harry Potter series
• Brian "Otis" Zvonecek character on TV's "Chicago Fire"
• Brian / Green character in "Monster Prom"
• Brian Thomas full name of Hoodie from Marble Hornets