Bryan Name History

The Irish surname Bryan, the anglicized form of O'Brian, is of patronymic origin, deriving from the first name of a father. In this instance the name derives from the popular medieval personal name Brian, which derived from the Old Irish word "bran", meaning "raven", and the surname came to denote "a son of Brian". Brian was a popular choice of Christian names amongst parents in Medieval Ireland and was also common in France and, after the conquest, in Medieval England. The surname Bryan is said to be of Anglo-Norman origin, having been imported into England initially, from Ireland, by Bretons who joined in the Norman Conquest in the elevenths century. It is still found in this particular form in the Leinster area of Ireland, which was known as "the Pale", the first area to be settled and planted by English settlers.

Early references to the surname date back to the eleventh century, one notable bearer of this name being the famous Brian Boru (941-1014). This outstanding figure was High King of Ireland, but died in the battle of Clontarf when the Norsemen were finally subdued. Brian, in fact used no surname; it was, however, in regular use forty years after his death. Many warriors in Ireland after his death, would have been named Bryan in the memory of Brian Boru and in the hope of invoking his protection. An earlier instance of this name as a surname was listed in Eleanor Hull's "History of Ireland" (page 201), referring to Donagh Cairbreing (1194-1242), son of Donal, who submitted to Henry the second. From 1055 to 1616, over three hundred individuals of the name O'Brien were recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters. Variants of this surname include Brien, Bryant, Brian and O'Brien. A notable bearer in more recent times was William Smith O'Brien, a Protestant, who became leader of the Young Irelanders in 1847.

Source: Historical Research Center