2000
#542
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 55,269
First available Census row
Per 100,000 20.49
Uncommon Last name
Bryan
An occupational surname referring to a person from a place called Brian or Bryan, likely meaning "hill" in Celtic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 62,709 Americans carry the last name Bryan. That puts it at #598 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 18.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,466 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bryan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bryan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
63K
1 in 5,466
Census rank
#598
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
18.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
55K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 54,685 bearers of the surname Bryan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 18.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 598th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bryan, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bryan
Among Census respondents with the surname Bryan, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bryan bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bryan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.9% · 42,613
- Black or African American12.5% · 6,858
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 2,391
- Two or more races3.8% · 2,075
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 398
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 350
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bryan
Bryan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#585
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 57,143
+1,874 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 19.37
Rank movement Down 43 places
2020
#598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,685
-2,458 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 18.30
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #542 | 55,269 | 20.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #585 | 57,143 | 19.37 | +1,874 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 43 places |
| 2020 | #598 | 54,685 | 18.30 | -2,458 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 13 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bryan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #585 | #598 | -2.2% |
| Count | 57,143 | 54,685 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 19.37 | 18.30 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bryan bearers went from 57,143 to 54,685 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #585 to #598.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bryan
FAQ
Bryan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bryan?
Name Census estimates that about 62,709 living Americans carry the surname Bryan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,466 residents.
How common is Bryan?
Bryan ranks #598 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 18.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 18 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 54,685 people with the surname Bryan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (62,709), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 18.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 18.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 18 of them to have the surname Bryan.
Has Bryan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bryan went from 57,143 recorded bearers to 54,685. That is a decrease of 2,458 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #585 to #598.
What does the Census say about the background of Bryan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bryan, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Hispanic (4.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bryan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.9% (42,613 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bryan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.9%), Black (12.5%), Hispanic (4.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bryan (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bryan mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person from a place called Brian or Bryan, likely meaning "hill" in Celtic. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bryan (18.30 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Bryan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.