Ryan

Irish

"little king"

Ryan Origin and Meaning

The name Ryan is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "little king".

Ryan’s use as a given name was inspired by the surname Ryan, a variation of the Irish O’Riain meaning "son of Rían." Rían is composed of the Irish-Gaelic elements rí, meaning "king" and an, a diminutive suffix. Ryan is considered a unisex name in the US, where variant spellings Ryann and Ryanne are also valid for girls.

Ryan has been one of the most popular Irish names in America for decades; it had been in the Top 20 since 1976, and dropped out in 2010 but still ranks highly, even though parents now have such a wide choice of Irish surnames, from Flynn to Finnigan, and newer Ry names like Ryder.

Ryan (born Patrick) O'Neal first brought it to light in the mid-1960s, when parents saw Ryan as a fresher and more spirited alternative to names like Brian and Kevin.

Several male marquee Ryans still keep the name in the spotlight—think Ryan Seacrest, Ryan Reynolds, Ryan Gosling and Ryan Philippe.

Ryan Rank in US Top 1000

# 87 in the US

Ryan Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 163 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Ryan

• 87 US 2024
• 163 Nameberry 2025
• 8 Unisex 2022
• 41 Canada 2023
• 135 Future 2028
• 116 England 2023
• 105 Scotland 2024
• 46 Ireland 2024
• 72 Australia 2024
• 67 New Zealand 2024
• 268 Germany 2016
• 95 Netherlands 2024
• 127 Switzerland 2023

20 Names Similar to Ryan

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

• Austin
• Jordan
• Jackson
• Cameron
• Jayden
• Mason
• Connor
• Dylan
• Tyler
• Cody
• Logan
• Chase
• Jaden
• Jake
• Kyle
• Kaleb
• Aiden
• Riley
• Carter
• Alex

Famous People Named Ryan

• Ryan McCartan American actor, singer and musician, part of the musical group 'The Girl And The Dreamcatcher' with Dove Cameron
• Ryan Farish American electronic musician
• Ryan John Seacrest American television host
• (Matthew) Ryan Philippe American actor
• Ryan Paul Delahoussaye American musician
• (George) Ryan Ross III American musician
• Ryan McGinley American photographer
• Ryan O'Neal (born Charles Patrick Ryan O'Neal), American actor
• Ryan Rodney Reynolds Canadian actor
• Ryan Thomas Gosling Canadian actor
• Ryan Kelly Irish singer
• Ryan Lochte American swimmer
• Ryan Tannehill American football player
• Ryan Fitzpatrick American football player
• Ryan Paevey (born Ryan Jacob Paevey Vlieger), American model and actor
• Ryan Allen Sheckler American skateboarder
• Ryan Lane American Actor
• Ryan James Pinkston American actor
• Ryan Nyquist professional BMX rider
• Ryan Scott Lee American actor
• Ryan Earl Merriman American actor
• (Ryan) Dallas Cook American musician
• Ryan Gallant American pro skateboarder
• Ryan Cartwright English actor
• Ryan Betty American singer
• Ryan Tedder American singer and songwriter
• Ryan Adams American singer and songwriter
• Ryan McLoughlin member of Irish boyband HomeTown
• Ryan Kent American child actor (twin brother of Hailey)
• Ryan Higa aka nigahiga American YouTuber
• Ryan Fitzsimons aka LittleLizardGaming Irish YouTuber
• Ryan Tyack Australian archer
• Ryan Held American swimmer
• Ryan Murphy American swimmer
• Ryan Joshua "Jeffrey" Met member of band AJR
• Ryan Christopher Shuck former guitarist of Orgy, lead singer of Julien,K, guitarist of Dead by Sunrise
• Ryan Burt former drummer for Australian band The Amity Affliction
• Ryan Bruce "Ryland" Adams American YouTube vlogger
• Ryan Bergara BuzzFeed Unsolved Host
• Ryan Otto Cassata Transgender Musician
• Ryan John Shilling (b. 2013) son of World Cup winner Amy Rodriguez

The name Ryan in Pop Culture

• Ryan Evans The High School Musical Trilogy
• Ryan Atwood character from "The O.C"
• Ryan Wolfe CSI: Miami
• Ryan Howard character on US TV series "The Office"
• Ryan Atkins character from "Sims" series
• Ryan Newman from TV series "Wilfred" played by Elijah Wood
• Ryan Walker from movie "Boys and Girls"
• Ryan Dunne from movie "Summer Catch"
• Ryan Sinclair character from "Doctor Who"
• Ryan Kinkade the MFE pilot in Voltron: Legendary Defender