Unisex name ★ peaked 2021

Rian

Meaning descendant of Riaghan / Rian Gender Unisex · 38% girls Rank 2025 #1,250 Trend ↑ Rising 15%

A re-Gaelicisation of the given name Ryan, which comes from the Irish surname Ó Riaghain / Ó Riain (literally “descendant of Riaghan / Rian”).

Rank 2025
#1,250
among boys · ↑18 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
189
named Rian · -8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 10,675
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2021
280 babies
All-time total
9,118
#1,657 all-time among boys
First recorded
1948
in Social Security records

Rian popularity over time

9,118 babies have been named Rian since 1948, 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
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – 7 7 1 – #3,254
1950s – 103 103 10 +1371% #1,479
1960s – 142 142 14 +38% #1,683
1970s 176 516 692 69 +387% #905
1980s 377 697 1,074 107 +55% #1,004
1990s 558 716 1,274 127 +19% #1,145
2000s 1,070 1,112 2,182 218 +71% #1,185
2010s 948 1,325 2,273 227 +4% #1,077
2020s (to 2025) 365 1,006 1,371 229 +1% #1,063

Where Rian 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 163 0.10 outside top 500
2027 166 0.10 outside top 500
2028 169 0.10 outside top 500
2029 171 0.10 outside top 500
2030 173 0.10 outside top 500

Where Rian is most popular

Boys named Rian per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.097 per 1,000. Strongest in Connecticut, New York, 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 Rian 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
Connecticut 16 0.236 +143%
New York 98 0.226 +132%
New Jersey 41 0.204 +109%
Georgia 47 0.186 +91%
Washington 30 0.183 +88%
California 123 0.135 +38%
Massachusetts 18 0.131 +34%
Pennsylvania 34 0.128 +32%
Illinois 32 0.125 +29%
North Carolina 26 0.102 +5%
Florida 45 0.095 ≈ national
Michigan 16 0.078 -20%
Texas 67 0.076 -22%
Virginia 11 0.058 -40%
Wisconsin 5 0.042 -57%
Indiana 5 0.031 -68%
Tennessee 5 0.028 -72%
Ohio 6 0.023 -77%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
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 Rian

Rian is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,250 in 2025 with 160 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1948, 9,118 American babies have been named Rian, about 62% boys and 38% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2021, when 280 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Rian stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Rian?

The median living Rian is about 19 years old; half are between 9 and 33. An estimated 8,900 people named Rian are alive in the United States today.

median 19 020406080100

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

Rian 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 29 #4,730 160 #1,250
2024 50 #3,216 156 #1,268
2023 55 #3,041 170 #1,190
2022 72 #2,509 153 #1,268
2021 78 #2,340 202 #1,063
2020 81 #2,238 165 #1,169
2019 115 #1,785 126 #1,405
2018 122 #1,703 148 #1,251
2017 95 #2,070 183 #1,077
2016 93 #2,113 153 #1,228
2015 88 #2,163 124 #1,394
2014 90 #2,136 130 #1,339
2013 83 #2,255 121 #1,397
2012 94 #2,059 123 #1,374
2011 82 #2,294 111 #1,474
2010 86 #2,250 106 #1,533
2009 94 #2,144 123 #1,387
2008 104 #2,018 140 #1,249
2007 128 #1,710 128 #1,331
2006 149 #1,487 120 #1,358
2005 129 #1,587 93 #1,534
2004 119 #1,638 104 #1,382
2003 94 #1,945 126 #1,185
2002 89 #1,982 85 #1,495
2001 84 #2,030 98 #1,335
2000 80 #2,073 95 #1,350
1995 48 #2,614 52 #1,729
1990 40 #2,883 90 #1,145
1985 37 #2,639 50 #1,387
1980 37 #2,581 70 #1,087
1975 17 #3,901 52 #1,176
1970 – – 22 #1,925
1965 – – 9 #2,940
1960 – – 19 #1,896
1955 – – 28 #1,479
1950 – – 5 #4,103
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Rian

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

  1. 1 Rian Johnson Rian Johnson American filmmaker (born 1973) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Rian?

The median living Rian is about 19 years old. Half of all living Rians are between 9 and 33 years old.

How many people named Rian are alive today?

An estimated 8,900 people named Rian are alive in the United States, based on 9,118 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Rian mean?

A re-Gaelicisation of the given name Ryan, which comes from the Irish surname Ó Riaghain / Ó Riain (literally “descendant of Riaghan / Rian”).

How popular is the name Rian in 2025?

Rian ranked #1,250 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 160 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Rian?

9,118 babies have been named Rian in the United States since 1948, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Rian most popular?

Rian peaked in 2021, when 280 newborns received the name.

Is Rian a boy or girl name?

Rian is used for both: about 38% of babies named Rian have been girls and 62% boys.

Is the name Rian rising or falling?

Rian is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Rian become more popular?

Rian is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 173 boys named Rian in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Rian?

Well-known people named Rian include Rian Johnson (film director).

Names like Rian

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

Compare Rian with similar names → More names starting with R →