boys' name ★ peaked 1985

Bryan

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #336 Trend ↓ Falling 25%

A male given name from Irish, a less common alternative spelling of Brian.

Rank 2025
#336
among boys · ↓29 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,005
named Bryan · -9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,700
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1985
8,788 babies
All-time total
391,306
#87 all-time among boys
First recorded
1883
in Social Security records

Bryan popularity over time

391,306 babies have been named Bryan since 1883, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 11 11 1 – #812
1890s – 405 405 41 +3582% #116
1900s – 197 197 20 -51% #277
1910s – 462 462 46 +135% #663
1920s – 1,162 1,162 116 +152% #498
1930s – 1,295 1,295 130 +11% #428
1940s – 3,976 3,976 398 +207% #249
1950s 42 20,628 20,670 2,067 +420% #94
1960s 208 55,304 55,512 5,551 +169% #51
1970s 410 71,338 71,748 7,175 +29% #42
1980s 579 80,502 81,081 8,108 +13% #47
1990s 242 59,751 59,993 5,999 -26% #57
2000s 187 61,930 62,117 6,212 +4% #64
2010s 44 25,694 25,738 2,574 -59% #97
2020s (to 2025) 5 6,934 6,939 1,157 -55% #259

Where Bryan is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 958 0.56 #343
2027 919 0.54 #357
2028 888 0.52 #365
2029 862 0.50 #370
2030 841 0.49 #376

Where Bryan is most popular

Boys named Bryan per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.645 per 1,000. Strongest in Massachusetts, Florida, and New Jersey.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Bryan born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Massachusetts 295 2.15 +232%
Florida 698 1.47 +128%
New Jersey 209 1.04 +61%
Connecticut 67 0.990 +53%
Maryland 108 0.906 +40%
Nevada 48 0.842 +30%
Texas 725 0.823 +27%
California 726 0.794 +23%
Louisiana 81 0.792 +23%
Delaware 12 0.791 +23%
Indiana 124 0.773 +20%
Virginia 141 0.743 +15%
Nebraska 31 0.713 +10%
New Mexico 23 0.698 +8%
New York 297 0.686 +6%
South Carolina 69 0.668 ≈ national
Arkansas 42 0.664 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 172 0.648 ≈ national
North Carolina 164 0.642 ≈ national
Arizona 104 0.636 ≈ national
Kentucky 63 0.628 ≈ national
Illinois 160 0.626 ≈ national
Georgia 151 0.596 -8%
Missouri 80 0.577 -11%
Maine 11 0.567 -12%
Ohio 150 0.566 -12%
Tennessee 102 0.565 -12%
Washington 90 0.550 -15%
Oklahoma 48 0.543 -16%
Alabama 59 0.540 -16%
Iowa 37 0.537 -17%
Oregon 35 0.461 -29%
Utah 43 0.450 -30%
Idaho 17 0.415 -36%
District of Columbia 6 0.406 -37%
Michigan 82 0.400 -38%
Kansas 27 0.394 -39%
Colorado 47 0.364 -44%
Wisconsin 41 0.346 -46%
Minnesota 34 0.277 -57%
Mississippi 12 0.211 -67%
Alaska – – –
Hawaii – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Bryan

Bryan is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #336 in 2025 with 1,005 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1883, 391,306 American babies have been named Bryan. Its peak came in 1985, when 8,788 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Bryan stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Bryan?

The median living Bryan is about 39 years old; half are between 25 and 51. An estimated 360 thousand people named Bryan are alive in the United States today.

median 39 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Bryan year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 1,005 #336
2024 – – 1,105 #307
2023 – – 1,082 #305
2022 – – 1,172 #291
2021 5 #15,685 1,211 #285
2020 – – 1,359 #259
2019 – – 1,425 #255
2018 – – 1,641 #233
2017 – – 1,840 #211
2016 5 #16,713 2,130 #186
2015 – – 2,492 #166
2014 9 #11,151 2,731 #149
2013 – – 2,893 #133
2012 10 #10,581 3,083 #121
2011 7 #13,616 3,521 #110
2010 13 #8,811 3,938 #97
2009 9 #11,630 4,856 #92
2008 14 #8,610 5,505 #82
2007 11 #10,247 6,180 #78
2006 16 #7,553 6,699 #66
2005 11 #9,566 6,454 #72
2004 29 #4,618 6,732 #65
2003 20 #5,853 6,619 #64
2002 24 #4,929 6,617 #64
2001 26 #4,583 6,125 #69
2000 27 #4,426 6,143 #70
1995 17 #5,482 5,444 #70
1990 29 #3,631 7,439 #57
1985 71 #1,652 8,717 #48
1980 65 #1,723 7,513 #49
1975 34 #2,365 6,998 #47
1970 36 #2,204 6,452 #53
1965 16 #3,161 5,345 #63
1960 15 #3,223 4,780 #88
1955 – – 1,568 #177
1950 – – 737 #247
1945 – – 308 #342
1940 – – 200 #406
1935 – – 108 #553
1930 – – 122 #544
1925 – – 149 #498
1920 – – 83 #716
1915 – – 50 #868
1910 – – 12 #937
1905 – – 10 #798
1900 – – 55 #277
1895 – – 27 #359
1890 – – 7 #817
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Bryan

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Bryan Cranston Bryan Cranston American actor (born 1956) Contemporary
  2. 2 Bryan Adams Bryan Adams Canadian singer-songwriter and musician (born 1959) Contemporary
  3. 3 Bryan Singer Bryan Singer American filmmaker (born 1965) Contemporary
  4. 4 Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry British singer (born 1945) Contemporary
  5. 5 Bryan Brown Bryan Brown Australian actor (born 1947) Contemporary
  6. 6 Bryan Greenberg Bryan Greenberg American actor (born 1978) Contemporary
  7. 7 Bryan Robson Bryan Robson English footballer (born 1957) Contemporary
  8. 8 Bryan Fuller Writer, United States b. 1969 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Bryan Konietzko Bryan Konietzko American animation director (born 1976) b. 1975 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Bryan Forbes Bryan Forbes English film director, screenwriter and actor (1926–2013) Contemporary
  11. 11 Bryan Dechart Bryan Dechart American actor (born 1987) Contemporary
  12. 12 Bryan Habana Bryan Habana South African rugby union player (born 1983) Contemporary
  13. 13 Bryan Trottier Hockey player, Canada b. 1956 · Contemporary
  14. 14 Bryan Gunn Bryan Gunn Scottish association football player and manager b. 1963 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Bryan Burk Bryan Burk American film and television producer b. 1968 · Contemporary
  16. 16 Bryan Roy Bryan Roy Dutch footballer (born 1970) Contemporary
  17. 17 Bryan Oviedo Bryan Oviedo Costa Rican footballer (born 1990) Contemporary
  18. 18 Bryan Douglas Soccer player, United Kingdom b. 1934 · Contemporary
  19. 19 Bryan Clay Bryan Clay American decathlete (born 1980) Contemporary
  20. 20 Bryan Acosta Bryan Acosta Honduran football player (born 1993) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Bryan, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Bryan?

The median living Bryan is about 39 years old. Half of all living Bryans are between 25 and 51 years old.

How many people named Bryan are alive today?

An estimated 360 thousand people named Bryan are alive in the United States, based on 391,306 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Bryan mean?

A male given name from Irish, a less common alternative spelling of Brian.

How popular is the name Bryan in 2025?

Bryan ranked #336 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,005 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Bryan?

391,306 babies have been named Bryan in the United States since 1883, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Bryan most popular?

Bryan peaked in 1985, when 8,788 newborns received the name.

Is Bryan a boy or girl name?

Bryan is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Bryan rising or falling?

Bryan is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Bryan become more popular?

Bryan is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 841 boys named Bryan in 2030, which would rank around #376. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Bryan?

Well-known people named Bryan include Bryan Cranston (actor), Bryan Adams (singer), Bryan Singer (film director).

Names like Bryan

Names that sound and feel close to Bryan: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Bryan with similar names → More names starting with B →