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*[[Brian Dabul]] (born 1984), Argentinian tennis player
*[[Brian Dabul]] (born 1984), Argentinian tennis player
*[[Brian De Palma]] (born 1940), American film director
*[[Brian De Palma]] (born 1940), American film director
*[[Brian Dennehy]] (1938-2020), American actor
*[[Brian Dowling (presenter)|Brian Dowling]] (born 1978), Irish television presenter
*[[Brian Dowling (presenter)|Brian Dowling]] (born 1978), Irish television presenter
*[[Brian Eno]] (born 1948), English electronic musician, music theorist and record producer
*[[Brian Eno]] (born 1948), English electronic musician, music theorist and record producer
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*[[Brian Laudrup]] (born 1969), former Danish international soccer player
*[[Brian Laudrup]] (born 1969), former Danish international soccer player
*[[Brian Lewerke]] (born 1996), American football player
*[[Brian Lewerke]] (born 1996), American football player
*[[Limmy|Brian Limond]] (born 1974), Scottish comedian
*[[Brian Littrell]] (born 1975), member of the boy band, The Backstreet Boys
*[[Brian Littrell]] (born 1975), member of the boy band, The Backstreet Boys
*[[Brian May]] (born 1947), guitarist, songwriter, founding member of the band Queen
*[[Brian May]] (born 1947), guitarist, songwriter, founding member of the band Queen
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*[[Brian Stephney]] (born 1983), Montserratian cricketer
*[[Brian Stephney]] (born 1983), Montserratian cricketer
*[[Brian Teacher]] (born 1952), American tennis player
*[[Brian Teacher]] (born 1952), American tennis player
*[[Brian Tyler]] (born 1972), American composer and musician
*[[Brian Urlacher]] (born 1978), American football player for the Chicago Bears
*[[Brian Urlacher]] (born 1978), American football player for the Chicago Bears
*[[Brian Viloria]] (born 1980), American boxer
*[[Brian Viloria]] (born 1980), American boxer

Revision as of 14:01, 3 August 2021

Brian
Pronunciation/ˈbraɪ.ən/
GenderMale
Origin
Word/nameIrish; Breton
Meaningpossibly "high" or "noble"
Region of originIreland; Brittany
Other names
Related namesBreanna, Breanne, Brianna, Brianne, Brien, Brion, Brina, Bryan, Bryant

Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin,[1] as well as a surname of Occitan origin.[2] It is common in the English-speaking world.

It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word meaning "high" or "noble".[1] For example, the element bre means "hill"; which could be transferred to mean "eminence" or "exalted one".[2] The name is quite popular in Ireland, on account of Brian Boru, a 10th-century High King of Ireland. The name was also quite popular in East Anglia during the Middle Ages. This is because the name was introduced to England by Bretons following the Norman Conquest.[1] Bretons also settled in Ireland along with the Normans in the 12th century, and 'their' name was mingled with the 'Irish' version.[2] Also, in the north-west of England, the 'Irish' name was introduced by Scandinavian settlers from Ireland. Within the Gaelic speaking areas of Scotland, the name was at first only used by professional families of Irish origin.[1]

It was the fourth most popular male name in England and Wales in 1934, but a sharp decline followed over the remainder of the 20th century and by 1994 it had fallen out of the top 100.[3] It retained its popularity in the United States for longer; its most popular period there was from 1968 to 1979 when it consistently ranked between eighth and tenth. The name has become increasingly popular in South America, particularly Argentina and Uruguay since the early 1990s.

The surname Brian is sometimes an English and Irish variant spelling of the surname Bryan. The English and French surname Brian is sometimes derived from the personal Celtic personal name shown above. The surname Brian can also sometimes be a French surname; derived from the Old Occitan word brian, meaning "maggot" and used as a nickname.[2]

Variants of the name include Briant, Brien, Bran, Brion, Bryan, Bryant, Brjánn (in Icelandic) and Bryon.[4] Variant spellings such as "Brien" are sometimes used as female given names, especially among members of the Irish diaspora.[5]

Notable people with the name

Mononyms

Surname

Given name: common combinations

These links lead to disambiguation pages.

Given name: individuals

Fictional characters

Media titles

Films and television shows which contain the name Brian include:

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-280050-7.
  2. ^ a b c d Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508137-4.
  3. ^ BabyNames.co.uk
  4. ^ Noel Higgins & Jeanne Goldner, Names, Names, Names, A Book for You (Middletown, Connecticut: Weekly Reader Books, 1986), page 8-b.
  5. ^ Gray, Breda. "Women and the Irish Diaspora". London : Routledge, 2004. p.87
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