Boys' name · since 1883
Bryan
389,589 babies named Bryan in U.S. Social Security records since 1883, with the highest year being 1985. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #87 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #336 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 389,589
- born since 1883
- 1980s
- peak decade
Yes -- Bryan is the #336 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 389,589 recorded since 1883.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bryan has been recorded 389,589 times among boys since 1883, currently ranked #336 nationally and more common than 98% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1980s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1883 to 2025.
- #87 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #336 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 389,589 born since 1883
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bryan ranks #87 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #336 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 389,589 born since 1883, peaking in the 1980s.
- #87 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #336 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 389,589
- born since 1883
- 1980s
- peak decade
Bryan's 389,589 recorded births place it above 99.8% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Bryan compares
389,589 Top 1% higher than 99% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Bryan's all-time total is 1,056x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bryan | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 389,589 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 8,717 | 34 | 22,252 |
Bryan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Bryan splits its recorded history at 1957: 96% of all births land in the more recent half, 4% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1886 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1985 peak of 8,717 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Bryan popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1883–2025
- Peak year (1985)
- 8,717
- Annual births at peak, across 143 years of records
Bryan popularity over time - girls
1,717 total births recorded since 1951 (Bryan as girls' name)
Bryan by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (80,502 births, 21% of the file).
1980s was Bryan's strongest decade.
80,502 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Bryan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 11
1880s
11 births
- 1890s 405
1890s
405 births
- 1900s 197
1900s
197 births
- 1910s 462
1910s
462 births
- 1920s 1,162
1920s
1,162 births
- 1930s 1,295
1930s
1,295 births
- 1940s 3,976
1940s
3,976 births
- 1950s 20,628
1950s
20,628 births
- 1960s
1960s
55,304 births
- 1970s
1970s
71,338 births
- 1980s
1980s
80,502 births
- 1990s
1990s
59,751 births
- 2000s
2000s
61,930 births
- 2010s 25,694
2010s
25,694 births
- 2020s 6,934
2020s
6,934 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 80,502 births (21% of all-time use).
How Bryan compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Bryan's total volume
Bryan by state
Where Bryan concentrates geographically, total births since 1883
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 58,628 | 15.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 37,090 | 9.5% |
| #3 | New York | | 23,797 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Florida | | 18,701 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 17,702 | 4.5% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 16,578 | 4.3% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 15,331 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 12,973 | 3.3% |
58,628 of 389,589 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Bryan appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bryan? ▼
Where does Bryan sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Bryan most popular? ▼
Where is Bryan most popular? ▼
How long has the name Bryan been used? ▼
What names are similar to Bryan? ▼
What to do with Bryan's data
- Bryan's decade-level peak was the 1980s (80,502 total births); usage has since declined to 6,934 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Bryans (58,628 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Bryan
Nearby Names Like Bryan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bryan
Compare Bryan side by side: Bryan vs Bryce Bryan vs Bryson Bryan vs Bryant
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bryan
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Bryan: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1985)
Similar record span (~142 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1883–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Bryan draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.