NameCensus.

UK surname

Bryan

An occupational surname referring to a person from a place called Brian or Bryan, likely meaning "hill" in Celtic.

In the 1881 census there were 7,426 people recorded with the Bryan surname, ranking it #575 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 13,161, ranked #491, up from #575 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stratford-on-Avon, Wakefield and Stoke-on-Trent.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bryan is 13,440 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 77.2%.

1881 census count

7,426

Ranked #575

Modern count

13,161

2016, ranked #491

Peak year

2010

13,440 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bryan had 7,426 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #575 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 13,161 in 2016, ranked #491.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 9,683 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Bryan surname distribution map

The map shows where the Bryan surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Bryan surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bryan over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 4,907 #567
1861 historical 5,165 #542
1881 historical 7,426 #575
1891 historical 7,721 #578
1901 historical 9,006 #586
1911 historical 9,683 #509
1997 modern 12,274 #503
1998 modern 12,819 #499
1999 modern 12,889 #499
2000 modern 12,850 #497
2001 modern 12,522 #496
2002 modern 12,863 #493
2003 modern 12,561 #492
2004 modern 12,642 #487
2005 modern 12,543 #484
2006 modern 12,580 #486
2007 modern 12,689 #489
2008 modern 12,775 #488
2009 modern 13,182 #485
2010 modern 13,440 #486
2011 modern 13,221 #486
2012 modern 12,982 #489
2013 modern 13,294 #489
2014 modern 13,383 #489
2015 modern 13,221 #490
2016 modern 13,161 #491

Geography

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Where Bryans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stratford-on-Avon, Wakefield and Stoke-on-Trent. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
4 London parishes London 2
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stratford-on-Avon 015 Stratford-on-Avon
2 Wakefield 042 Wakefield
3 Wakefield 045 Wakefield
4 Stoke-on-Trent 031 Stoke-on-Trent
5 Stoke-on-Trent 028 Stoke-on-Trent

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bryan

These lists show first names that appear often with the Bryan surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bryan

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bryan, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Bryan surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Bryan household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Bryan is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bryan is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bryan falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bryan is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Bryan, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Bryan

The surname BRYAN has its origins in the ancient Brittonic Celtic language of Britain. It is derived from the elements 'bri', meaning hill or high place, and 'ant', meaning against or opposite. Thus, the name originally referred to someone who lived on or near a prominent hill or ridge.

The name can be traced back to the early medieval period in Britain, with the first recorded instances appearing in the Domesday Book of 1086. This great census, commissioned by William the Conqueror, lists several individuals with the surname, including Ralph Brian in Norfolk and Radulf Brian in Somerset.

Over the centuries, the name has undergone various spelling variations, including Brian, Bryan, Bryen, and Brion. These differences often reflected regional dialects and pronunciation variations across the British Isles.

One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Guy de Bryan (c. 1120-1190), a Norman nobleman and constable of Wallingford Castle in Berkshire. His descendants played important roles in the Wars of the Roses and the Hundred Years' War against France.

Another prominent figure was Sir Francis Bryan (1490-1548), a courtier and diplomat in the service of King Henry VIII. He played a key role in the annulment of the king's marriage to Catherine of Aragon and was later appointed Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.

William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925), a renowned American orator, politician, and three-time Democratic nominee for President, is perhaps the most famous bearer of the surname in modern times. He was a leading voice for progressive causes and is remembered for his involvement in the Scopes "Monkey" Trial.

The name has also been associated with various place names across Britain, such as Bryan's Green in Middlesex, Bryanston in Dorset, and Bryansford in County Down, Ireland, reflecting the historical presence and influence of families with this surname in these regions.

Other notable individuals with the BRYAN surname include Walter Bryan (1758-1839), a Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in North Carolina, and Joseph Bryan (1805-1858), a prominent banker and businessman in Richmond, Virginia, whose estate became the site of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bryan families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bryan surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 992 Bryans recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.37x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 992 1.37x
Lancashire 644 0.75x
Staffordshire 578 2.36x
Warwickshire 485 2.65x
Yorkshire 467 0.65x
Surrey 423 1.20x
Leicestershire 325 4.04x
Kent 243 0.98x
Derbyshire 237 2.09x
Worcestershire 230 2.43x
Nottinghamshire 220 2.25x
Gloucestershire 200 1.41x
Durham 171 0.79x
Northamptonshire 165 2.42x
Lincolnshire 153 1.32x
Glamorgan 146 1.16x
Oxfordshire 145 3.24x
Shropshire 129 2.06x
Cheshire 126 0.79x
Lanarkshire 121 0.52x
Essex 117 0.82x
Flintshire 98 5.03x
Monmouthshire 86 1.64x
Hampshire 85 0.57x
Rutland 84 15.78x
Denbighshire 82 2.99x
Ayrshire 74 1.36x
Cumberland 61 0.98x
Somerset 60 0.51x
Devon 56 0.37x
Herefordshire 47 1.58x
Sussex 47 0.38x
Northumberland 31 0.29x
Buckinghamshire 30 0.68x
Angus 28 0.42x
Midlothian 28 0.29x
Hertfordshire 19 0.38x
Huntingdonshire 18 1.25x
Berkshire 15 0.28x
Kirkcudbrightshire 15 1.43x
Caernarfonshire 13 0.44x
Dunbartonshire 12 0.62x
Cambridgeshire 11 0.24x
Stirlingshire 11 0.41x
Montgomeryshire 10 0.60x
Isle of Man 9 0.67x
Brecknockshire 8 0.55x
Radnorshire 8 1.37x
Wigtownshire 8 0.83x
Wiltshire 8 0.12x
Anglesey 7 0.54x
Renfrewshire 7 0.12x
Royal Navy 7 0.81x
Cornwall 6 0.07x
Bedfordshire 5 0.13x
Aberdeenshire 4 0.06x
Dorset 3 0.06x
Suffolk 3 0.03x
Dumfriesshire 2 0.12x
Morayshire 2 0.18x
Peeblesshire 2 0.59x
Perthshire 2 0.06x
Westmorland 2 0.13x
Merionethshire 1 0.08x
West Lothian 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 191 Bryans recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.13x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 191 3.13x
Stoke Upon Trent 140 5.39x
St Pancras London 100 1.71x
Leicester St Margaret 95 4.85x
Aston 94 1.87x
Liverpool 81 1.55x
St George In East London 66 9.68x
Wolverhampton 66 3.51x
Lambeth 60 0.95x
Toxteth Park 60 2.06x
West Ham 55 1.74x
Bermondsey 53 2.46x
Nottingham St Mary 52 2.06x
Islington London 50 0.71x
St Giles In Fields London 47 13.21x
Poplar London 46 3.36x
Croydon 43 2.19x
St Marylebone London 43 1.11x
Battersea 42 1.57x
Kensington London 42 1.04x
St George Hanover Square 40 3.13x
Camberwell 37 0.80x
Deptford St Paul 37 1.94x
Manchester 36 0.93x
Dudley 35 3.04x
Barony 34 0.57x
Bethnal Green London 34 1.08x
Kings Norton 34 4.00x
Southwark St George Martyr 34 2.33x
Woolwich 34 3.72x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 33 2.46x
Coddington 33 255.22x
Govan 33 0.57x
Chatham 32 4.70x
Paddington London 32 1.20x
Tipton 32 4.27x
West Derby 32 1.27x
Brailes 31 110.44x
Salford 31 1.23x
Glasgow 30 0.72x
Wigan 30 2.50x
Hampstead London 29 2.57x
Mile End Old Town London 29 1.88x
St Luke London 29 2.49x
Birkenhead 28 2.19x
Portsea 28 0.96x
Walsall Foreign 28 2.21x
Cardiff St Mary 27 3.88x
Chorlton On Medlock 27 1.98x
Llanarmon 27 64.67x
Sedgley 27 2.97x
Shoreditch London 27 0.86x
Stockton On Tees 27 2.60x
Stone 27 8.62x
Trentham 27 12.97x
Brightside Bierlow 26 1.85x
Hammersmith London 26 1.46x
Everton 25 0.91x
Ratcliffe London 25 6.24x
Arnold 24 16.82x
Caverswall 24 18.86x
Leeds 24 0.59x
Belper 23 10.45x
Merthyr Tydfil 23 1.90x
St Andrew Holborn London 23 7.33x
Sutton In Ashfield 23 10.84x
Thurlby Obthorpe 23 148.01x
Wolstanton 23 3.09x
Worcester St Clement 23 38.20x
Bersham 22 18.83x
Handsworth 22 3.65x
Newington 22 0.82x
Peterborough 22 4.46x
Spitalfields London 22 4.03x
Hackney London 21 0.52x
Hulme 21 1.17x
Southwark St John 21 9.47x
Bishopwearmouth 20 1.08x
Cleator 20 7.70x
Sculcoates 20 1.76x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Bryan surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 549
Elizabeth 252
Sarah 236
Ellen 153
Ann 151
Jane 118
Annie 117
Eliza 99
Margaret 99
Alice 82
Catherine 79
Hannah 79
Emma 76
Emily 71
Martha 53
Louisa 48
Charlotte 43
Kate 42
Harriet 39
Edith 38
Fanny 38
Ada 36
Maria 32
Caroline 31
Susan 30
Clara 29
Florence 29
Anne 28
Frances 26
Bridget 23
Julia 23
Rose 23
Lucy 22
Isabella 19
Esther 18
Rebecca 18
Susannah 18
Agnes 17
Harriett 16
Matilda 16
Eleanor 13
Jessie 13
Lizzie 13
Minnie 13
Selina 13
Amelia 12
Gertrude 12
Laura 11
Sophia 11
Elizth. 10

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Bryan surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 493
William 437
Thomas 255
James 244
George 220
Henry 118
Joseph 116
Charles 110
Edward 92
Richard 67
Robert 67
Samuel 64
Alfred 61
Arthur 56
Frederick 51
Michael 50
Patrick 47
Walter 43
Daniel 39
Albert 38
Francis 33
Frank 31
Harry 28
David 25
Edwin 24
Herbert 24
Wm. 24
Benjamin 23
Ernest 22
Jeremiah 21
Timothy 19
Peter 15
Dennis 14
Isaac 14
Thos. 14
Geo. 13
Tom 11
Chas. 9
Cornelius 9
Fred 9
Mark 9
Martin 9
Andrew 8
Edmund 8
Stephen 8
Christopher 7
Hugh 7
Jas. 7
Jesse 7
Phillip 6

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Bryan households.

FAQ

Bryan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bryan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 7,426 people were recorded with the Bryan surname. That placed it at #575 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bryan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 13,161 in 2016. That gives Bryan a modern rank of #491.

What does the Bryan surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a person from a place called Brian or Bryan, likely meaning "hill" in Celtic.

What does the Bryan map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Bryan bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.