O'Bryan
An anglicized Irish surname meaning “descendant of Brian,” tied to the old Gaelic personal name Brian.
The #5,433 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 48,181 Americans shares it.
Etymology
O'Bryan is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Briain. The prefix Ó means “descendant of,” while Briain is the genitive form of the personal name Brian, traditionally associated with strength or nobility in Irish naming. In plain terms, the surname means “descendant of Brian.”
History
The name is most famously associated with the O'Brien dynasty of Munster, especially the medieval High King Brian Boru. In English-language records, Irish surnames with Ó were often simplified, dropped, or respelled, which helps explain forms such as O'Bryan and O'Brien. O'Bryan is a less common spelling than O'Brien, but it belongs to the same broader family of Irish surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Brian Boru’s descendants helped make Ó Briain one of the best-known royal surnames in Ireland.