How Many People Are Named Brian?
people named Brian are alive in the United States today (estimate)
About 1 in 331 people in the US has this name
Based on 1,178,298 babies named Brian in Social Security records from 1909 to 2025, and the share of each birth year still alive in 2025.
Popularity Rank
⭐⭐⭐ Very Common
Peak Year
36,477 births
Trend
Declining (last 10 years)
📖 Name Origin & Meaning
Meaning:
The meaning of this name is not known for certain but it is possibly related to the old Celtic element bre meaning "hill", or by extension "high, noble". It was borne by the semi-legendary Irish king Brian Boru, who thwarted Viking attempts to conquer Ireland in the 11th century. He was slain in the Battle of Clontarf, though his forces were decisively victorious. The name was common in Ireland before his time, and even more so afterwards. It came into use in England in the Middle Ages, introduced by Breton settlers. It subsequently became rare, but was revived in the 20th century.
Source of the meaning, origin, pronunciation and related names: Behind the Name.
Same Sound, Other Spellings
These names are pronounced like Brian in English. Counting Brian and these spellings together, about 1,402,978 people alive in the US have the name.
⚧ Gender Distribution
Almost all of the babies given the name Brian (99.6%) were boys.
👥 Age Distribution
The average person named Brian alive today is about 47 years old, and 67% are between 30 and 59. Half of them were between 38 and 57 in 2025.
📈 Popularity Over Time
Brian first appears in the records in 1909 and was given most often in 1972, to 36,477 babies. In 2025, 979 babies got the name. Over the last ten years, the number each year has been falling.
Babies given the name each year, 1909 to 2025
🏆 Rank History
Brian reached #8 among boys' names in 1970 and 1972 to 1977, and was in the top 10 for 13 years, 1967 to 1979. In 2025 it ranked #339.
| Boys | |
|---|---|
| Rank in 2025 | #339 |
| Best rank | #8 (1970 and 1972 to 1977) |
| Years in the top 10 | 13 |
| Years in the top 100 | 63 (1947 to 2009) |
| Rank in its biggest decade | #8 in the 1970s |
📍 State-Wise Distribution
People named Brian alive today, by the state where they were born (estimate; state records start in 1910).
More people named Brian were born in California than in any other state: about 112,660 of those alive today. Compared with the national rate in the same years, Brian was given 1.5 times as often in Massachusetts, 1.5 times in New Hampshire and 1.4 times in Connecticut.
Look up another name
⊙ We don't save the names you search.