Boy nameCurrently #87 in the USFalling
Ryan
RY-un//ˈraɪən//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19854 lettersStarts with R
Meaning & origin
Little king
Ryan comes from the Irish Ó Riain, meaning 'descendant of Rian', a name likely rooted in a word for 'little king'. A hugely popular name across the English-speaking world since the 1970s, it retains a clean, universally friendly sound.
Ryan's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Ryan |
|---|---|
| 1906 | 10 |
| 1911 | 6 |
| 1913 | 7 |
| 1914 | 9 |
| 1916 | 7 |
| 1917 | 8 |
| 1918 | 12 |
| 1919 | 6 |
| 1920 | 12 |
| 1921 | 17 |
| 1922 | 8 |
| 1923 | 10 |
| 1924 | 7 |
| 1925 | 14 |
| 1926 | 14 |
| 1927 | 9 |
| 1928 | 14 |
| 1929 | 6 |
| 1930 | 14 |
| 1931 | 15 |
| 1932 | 14 |
| 1933 | 11 |
| 1934 | 13 |
| 1935 | 11 |
| 1936 | 13 |
| 1937 | 14 |
| 1938 | 8 |
| 1939 | 21 |
| 1940 | 18 |
| 1941 | 13 |
| 1942 | 26 |
| 1943 | 34 |
| 1944 | 23 |
| 1945 | 35 |
| 1946 | 65 |
| 1947 | 102 |
| 1948 | 82 |
| 1949 | 102 |
| 1950 | 99 |
| 1951 | 105 |
| 1952 | 126 |
| 1953 | 145 |
| 1954 | 132 |
| 1955 | 176 |
| 1956 | 192 |
| 1957 | 278 |
| 1958 | 308 |
| 1959 | 407 |
| 1960 | 385 |
| 1961 | 389 |
| 1962 | 397 |
| 1963 | 647 |
| 1964 | 520 |
| 1965 | 1,092 |
| 1966 | 1,590 |
| 1967 | 1,942 |
| 1968 | 2,181 |
| 1969 | 2,262 |
| 1970 | 2,347 |
| 1971 | 6,229 |
| 1972 | 8,935 |
| 1973 | 10,597 |
| 1974 | 13,304 |
| 1975 | 15,436 |
| 1976 | 17,649 |
| 1977 | 21,611 |
| 1978 | 21,902 |
| 1979 | 23,769 |
| 1980 | 25,400 |
| 1981 | 27,489 |
| 1982 | 27,282 |
| 1983 | 28,458 |
| 1984 | 29,269 |
| 1985 | 30,479 |
| 1986 | 30,228 |
| 1987 | 29,188 |
| 1988 | 28,365 |
| 1989 | 28,973 |
| 1990 | 29,708 |
| 1991 | 27,965 |
| 1992 | 27,395 |
| 1993 | 27,079 |
| 1994 | 24,427 |
| 1995 | 23,441 |
| 1996 | 22,192 |
| 1997 | 20,888 |
| 1998 | 20,675 |
| 1999 | 21,467 |
| 2000 | 20,717 |
| 2001 | 18,754 |
| 2002 | 18,177 |
| 2003 | 20,176 |
| 2004 | 20,197 |
| 2005 | 18,664 |
| 2006 | 17,121 |
| 2007 | 16,427 |
| 2008 | 15,261 |
| 2009 | 13,647 |
| 2010 | 12,446 |
| 2011 | 12,009 |
| 2012 | 11,411 |
| 2013 | 10,331 |
| 2014 | 9,704 |
| 2015 | 9,227 |
| 2016 | 8,946 |
| 2017 | 8,478 |
| 2018 | 7,806 |
| 2019 | 6,893 |
| 2020 | 6,025 |
| 2021 | 5,367 |
| 2022 | 4,914 |
| 2023 | 4,466 |
| 2024 | 4,291 |
Ryan through the decades
- Ryan peaked in 1985, when 30,479 babies were named Ryan in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Ryan has fallen 52% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Ryan currently ranks #87 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Ry
Variants & spellings
Rian
Famous people named Ryan
- Ryan Reynolds — actor