NamesBoyB › Brian
Boy name

Brian

/ˈbɹaɪən/ · 100% boys · #339 in the US for boys, 2025

Brian has been given to about 1,178,298 people in the United States since 1880. It was most common in 1972, which makes it a boomer-era name.

Meaning
Origin
Syllables1
Pronunciation/ˈbɹaɪən/
Nicknames
Living in the US≈ 1,032,667
Median age today50 years

Popularity, 1880–2025

Babies named Brian per year · SSA, ONS, NRS, CSO, INSEE and SSB
18802025
United StatesEngland & WalesScotlandIrelandFranceNorwayeach scaled to its own peak
  • Peak year1972 · 36,477
  • Born in 2025979
  • All time1,178,298
  • England & Wales, 2025#577 · 68

How popular is Brian?

Brian ranks 339th among American boys in 2025, with 979 born that year. Its best year was 1972, when 36,477 babies were given the name, ranking 8th. The typical living American called Brian is about 50 years old today. It is relatively most common in Delaware, where it accounts for 0.12% of births.

Names that sound like Brian

Phonetic similarity, 0–1
  1. Bryan0.89
  2. Rian0.85
  3. Arian0.80
  4. Ryan0.73
  5. Brayan0.77
  6. Briar0.75
  7. Aryan0.73
  8. Adrian0.70

Middle names for Brian

Ranked by flow score
  1. Brian Thomas0.74
  2. Brian Cole0.73
  3. Brian Miles0.73
  4. Brian Wilder0.72
  5. Brian James0.71
  6. Brian John0.55

Sibling names for Brian

Same era, comparable use, no clash
  1. Kevinbrother · 0.97
  2. Ericbrother · 0.97
  3. Michellesister · 0.96
  4. Kimberlysister · 0.96
  5. Angelasister · 0.96
  6. Timothybrother · 0.95

Where Brian is strongest

Share of 2025 births by state
  1. Delaware0.12%
  2. District of Columbia0.11%
  3. North Dakota0.10%
  4. Kentucky0.06%
  5. West Virginia0.05%

With a common surname

Flow score against the most-used American surnames · try your own
  1. Brian Evans0.73
  2. Brian Edwards0.73
  3. Brian Anderson0.70
  4. Brian Allen0.70
  5. Brian Adams0.70
  6. Brian Wilson0.69

How to read these numbers

Every score on this page is explained
  1. Phonetic similarity0–1
  2. Middle-name flow0–1
  3. Sibling fit0–1
  4. Living population estimatemethod
  5. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Sources for Brian

Every figure on this page is public record
  1. United States1880–2025
  2. England & Wales1996–2025
  3. Scotland1974–2020
  4. Ireland1998–2019
  5. France1900–2025
  6. Norway1945–2025
  7. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Brian across America

Share of 2025 births in each state. Darker means more common.
ME
WA
VT
NH
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
CA
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
DC
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
SC
AK
TX
GA
FL
HI
raremost common

Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.