Bryant

Variation of Brian, Irish

"strong, virtuous, and honorable"

Bryant Origin and Meaning

The name Bryant is a boy's name meaning "strong, virtuous, and honorable".

Bryant has a longer history as a first name in the US than its father name Brian, ranking among the Top 1000 since the list began in 1880 while Brian only jumped on in 1925.

That may be because the Vikings, the Bretons, and the English turned it into a surname from ancient times, when the high king Brian Boru ruled Ireland in 1002. But native Irish names like Brian were banned in Ireland for centuries during British rule, until the Irish war for independence in 1916 restored them to use.

The early 20th century saw a huge wave of Irish immigration to the US, and after the First World War, Irish immigrants began using Irish names like Brian and Kevin, propelling them up the US charts.

Bryant never hit the heights of Brian, which was a Top 10 name throughout the 1970s, and now seems to be falling out of favor more quickly. Bryant has been on a steep downward slide for several decades, with a brief upward blip following basketball star Kobe Bryant's tragic death in 2020.

In New York it's also associated with fashionable Bryant Park, named for editor William Cullen Bryant, and in Alabama with University of Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant.

Bryant Rank in US Top 1000

# 907 in the US

Popularity of the name Bryant

• 907 US 2022
• 1333 Nameberry 2025
• 175 Unique 2024

20 Names Similar to Bryant

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Bryant.

• Brice
• Kenton
• Blakely
• Barron
• Neal
• Dilan
• Derrick
• Shaun
• Brent
• Addison
• Coby
• Branson
• Shannon
• Cale
• Cam
• Benton
• Madison
• Garrison
• Kendall
• Mackenzie

Famous People Named Bryant

• Bryant Charles Gumbel American television journalist and sportscaster
• Bryant Douglas McKinnie American NFL football player
• (Bryant) Winfield Culberson Dunn American politician; 43rd Governor of Tennessee
• Bryant Kevin Dunston Jr., American,Armenian basketball player
• Bryant Lee Mix American NFL football player
• Bryant McFadden American NFL player
• Bryant Reeves American basketball player
• Bryant Young former American football defensive tackle
• Bryant Eslava famous photographer

The name Bryant in Pop Culture

• Bryant Park landmark of New York City