Talk:Brian

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Brian Cowen

Is no longer the current taoiseach of Ireland, but the former taoiseach. Please fix. 85.24.189.252 (talk) 23:19, 22 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Confusing

Anyone else a little confused? --Dante Alighieri 22:59 19 May 2003 (UTC)

Absolutely. But, given that the author of the article is also the author of Ifyoudeletethisyouaredumb, it's no surprise... -- Wapcaplet 23:01 19 May 2003 (UTC)

Actually, it isn't. The Ifyoudeletethisyouaredumb guy is only the most recent to modify it. The original article is by Tokerboy. --Dante Alighieri 23:03 19 May 2003 (UTC)

Deletions

I've removed a couple of trivia items from this page, as they seem to be either covered by the Allpages link (Brian Griffin) or not actually known by the sole name 'Brian' (the film). Ziggurat 02:52, 9 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Removed some vandalism

Griffin

Shouldn't "Brian Griffin" be mentioned on this page? At least one Brian should be. The "See also" with articles beginning with Brian has all the article, it doesn't have it in order by population. This is one of the few, if not the only one, name page I know that has no character listed. TheBlazikenMaster 16:43, 17 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

P.s. Leave me a message to my talkpage as I'm not watching this page. TheBlazikenMaster 16:44, 17 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

There are so many hundreds of famous people called Brian that a proper list needs to be made. 87.210.35.24 (talk) 02:24, 5 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Vandalism

Does it seem to anyone else like this entry is being frequently vandalized by unregistered users? It might be wise to semi-protect it. CyberRaptor 22:28, 17 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It has been fully protected expires 03:13, 31 October 2007 (UTC) Rgoodermote 10:38, 26 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

English name?

This article suggests that Brian is an English name. It is widely used in England and English language countries, yes, but it is very much an Irish name that originated in Ireland. A more correct description would be "an Irish name widely used in English speaking countries". I can't think of a more Irish name than Brian!—Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.235.100.183 (talk • contribs) 10 December 2009

The point is Brian isn't just an Irish name. The same name was also introduced into England by the Bretons; later the Breton name also spread into Ireland as well. So even in Ireland, not every instance of 'Brian' is really the 'Irish' name. Perhaps there are some families today which use the name, where it might be possible to trace it back to Breton ancestors. Here's a mediæval Breton named 'Brian': Brian fitz Count.--Brianann MacAmhlaidh (talk) 09:33, 11 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

So in that case it's a Breton name?! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.233.157.85 (talk) 19:37, 11 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yep, basically. Scandinavians from Ireland brought the 'Irish' name to the northwest of England; and Bretons brought the 'Breton' name to the eastern part of England. The thing is, i think the references we've got in the article are really only concerned with the British/Irish/American angle; so book A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0192800507 classifies it as simply 'Irish and English'.--Brianann MacAmhlaidh (talk) 07:13, 12 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Brian group on Facebook

Brian is also the name for a popular Facebook group that explores the ambiguous nature of words (primarily the word Brian) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Email.james (talk • contribs) 04:05, 30 December 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Edit request from 12.249.147.86, 7 March 2011

The source for the part of this page that tells that "brian" is a Old French word from "maggot" has no reference and appears to be an abuse. If it isn't true, it's otherwise offensive.-12.249.147.86 (talk) 08:45, 7 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Don't worry it's OK, the source says "maggot". See for yourself, follow this link: [1]. It's a transcription of a Dictionary of American Family Names. Thanks for questioning it though. If no one questions anything misinformation will stay on Wikipedia.--Brianann MacAmhlaidh (talk) 09:57, 7 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Edit request from Highandnoble, 11 April 2011

This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

"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]"

The above phrase is a conflation of the meaning, "Brian" and therefore is incorrect and should be removed from the Wikipedia page. Not only is the statement false and misleading, it is abusive and offensive. Until this matter is cleared up with a breadth, depth, and richness of sources, I strongly challenge the user who posted this ill-informed, slanderous, dishonorable content. The phrase should be removed promptly if this entry is to be legitimate. Thank you.

Highandnoble (talk) 17:22, 11 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Not done: it's sourced to the Dictionary of American Family Names. — Bility (talk) 19:05, 11 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Highandnoble, look at the section just above this one and follow the link I gave.--Brianann MacAmhlaidh (talk) 06:09, 15 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Not done: (requested again) because it is reliably sourced. See the answer directly above this one as well. Finding more reliable sources couldn't hurt, but as of now, it stands as just another fact in this encyclopedia entry. Not all information is going to be positive and bright. Personally, I don't find this offensive, and it's my name. Airplaneman ✈ 03:20, 17 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Aforementioned "explanations" are insufficient as they do not qualify as a breadth, depth or richness of sources. Would it be possible to indicate where the information in the Dictionary of American Family Names originated? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.14.69.14 (talk)

I don't know myself. The public library system where I live doesn't have that book. Maybe you could check your library. A book that specialises in French-language surnames (particular ones from the south of France) could help too.-Brianann MacAmhlaidh (talk) 08:47, 23 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Please don't reopen this request unless you have some new information you're bringing to light. Thank you, — Bility (talk) 09:26, 24 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]