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Ryan Name Origin: Irish
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Pronunciation: ry-in
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See what 22 people think about Ryan
Ryan Name Meaning
An Irish name meaning “little king”, Ryan has been a chart staple since bursting onto the scene in the 1970s. Despite his meteoric rise to fame, Ryan doesn’t seem dated and is quickly becoming a classic in his own right.
A friendly name with boy-next-door appeal, Ryan is a feel-good pick that is easily recognizable. Most people know a Ryan, leaving misspellings in the dust and avoiding awkward pronunciation issues that plague some names. The name also has a natural likeability factor.
Thanks to his popularity over the years, Ryan is also immune to being timestamped. A Ryan could easily be a newborn or a grown man, while someone with a name like Ryker is most certainly a baby or child. He wears well into adulthood, just as easily fitting a doctor or musician.
While Ryan fits a man at any age, he does have a boyish charm that’s hard to overlook. Somewhat mischievous and playful, Ryan has an irresistible charisma. The first to ignite fun and adventure, Ryan is the little king of the playground, wearing his meaning well.
Ryan is working his way towards becoming a timeless pick, but he fits in with today’s top names as well. He sounds similar to Rylan and Riley while having the Irish roots beloved in Aiden and Liam.
Infographic of Ryan name meaning, which is An Irish name, Ryan means little king.
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Ryan Name Popularity
How popular is the name Ryan? Here’s everything we know.
Year |
Rank |
# Births |
% Births |
1910 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1911 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1912 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1913 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1914 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1915 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1916 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1917 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1918 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1919 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1920 |
1,599 |
5 |
0.0004% |
1921 |
1,408 |
6 |
0.0005% |
1922 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1923 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1924 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1925 |
1,426 |
6 |
0.0005% |
1926 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1927 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1928 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1929 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1930 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1931 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1932 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1933 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1934 |
1,356 |
5 |
0.0005% |
1935 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1936 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1937 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1938 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1939 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1940 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1941 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1942 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1943 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1944 |
— |
0 |
0% |
1945 |
1,398 |
5 |
0.0004% |
1946 |
991 |
17 |
0.0012% |
1947 |
728 |
50 |
0.003% |
1948 |
1,017 |
17 |
0.0011% |
1949 |
707 |
55 |
0.0034% |
1950 |
766 |
43 |
0.0027% |
1951 |
707 |
57 |
0.0034% |
1952 |
650 |
71 |
0.0041% |
1953 |
630 |
86 |
0.0049% |
1954 |
664 |
77 |
0.0042% |
1955 |
560 |
129 |
0.007% |
1956 |
540 |
150 |
0.0079% |
1957 |
455 |
242 |
0.0126% |
1958 |
453 |
259 |
0.0137% |
1959 |
395 |
368 |
0.0194% |
1960 |
415 |
326 |
0.0172% |
1961 |
408 |
341 |
0.0181% |
1962 |
406 |
355 |
0.0193% |
1963 |
308 |
615 |
0.0343% |
1964 |
348 |
472 |
0.0268% |
1965 |
219 |
1,067 |
0.0652% |
1966 |
171 |
1,557 |
0.0997% |
1967 |
147 |
1,916 |
0.1263% |
1968 |
131 |
2,162 |
0.144% |
1969 |
134 |
2,245 |
0.1457% |
1970 |
139 |
2,321 |
0.1458% |
1971 |
51 |
6,190 |
0.4119% |
1972 |
39 |
8,892 |
0.6529% |
1973 |
30 |
10,517 |
0.8112% |
1974 |
25 |
13,188 |
1.0147% |
1975 |
23 |
15,304 |
1.191% |
1976 |
16 |
17,501 |
1.3579% |
1977 |
16 |
21,257 |
1.577% |
1978 |
14 |
21,334 |
1.5868% |
1979 |
14 |
23,220 |
1.6468% |
1980 |
15 |
24,804 |
1.6964% |
1981 |
13 |
26,823 |
1.8247% |
1982 |
13 |
26,697 |
1.7865% |
1983 |
13 |
27,842 |
1.8867% |
1984 |
12 |
28,720 |
1.9306% |
1985 |
12 |
29,895 |
1.9696% |
1986 |
11 |
29,509 |
1.9549% |
1987 |
13 |
28,478 |
1.8662% |
1988 |
13 |
27,739 |
1.78% |
1989 |
13 |
28,409 |
1.7605% |
1990 |
11 |
29,248 |
1.7646% |
1991 |
11 |
27,529 |
1.6889% |
1992 |
13 |
27,006 |
1.6919% |
1993 |
13 |
26,720 |
1.7139% |
1994 |
16 |
24,053 |
1.5673% |
1995 |
15 |
23,087 |
1.5319% |
1996 |
16 |
21,807 |
1.4564% |
1997 |
16 |
20,526 |
1.3878% |
1998 |
17 |
20,194 |
1.3492% |
1999 |
12 |
21,011 |
1.403% |
2000 |
13 |
20,264 |
1.3265% |
2001 |
15 |
18,286 |
1.2136% |
2002 |
16 |
17,659 |
1.1784% |
2003 |
13 |
19,571 |
1.2864% |
2004 |
12 |
19,491 |
1.2788% |
2005 |
14 |
17,982 |
1.1761% |
2006 |
14 |
16,426 |
1.049% |
2007 |
16 |
15,709 |
0.9956% |
2008 |
18 |
14,679 |
0.9497% |
2009 |
20 |
13,106 |
0.8769% |
2010 |
23 |
11,968 |
0.8305% |
2011 |
25 |
11,493 |
0.8067% |
2012 |
26 |
10,935 |
0.7674% |
2013 |
30 |
9,873 |
0.6934% |
2014 |
37 |
9,080 |
0.6232% |
2015 |
39 |
8,517 |
0.5853% |
2016 |
40 |
8,232 |
0.5709% |
2017 |
43 |
7,652 |
0.5483% |
2018 |
46 |
6,905 |
0.5026% |
2019 |
54 |
6,087 |
0.4496% |
2020 |
57 |
5,213 |
0.4096% |
2021 |
66 |
4,694 |
0.384% |
2022 |
74 |
4,372 |
0.3314% |
District of Columbia (DC)
Data via SSA.gov.
Names Like Ryan
If you like Ryan, you’ll love these other names like Ryan.
What names are diminutives of Ryan?
A diminutive is a name that’s like Ryan sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Ryan, but shorter.
Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
Rye
|
Rye plant
|
English
|
|
|
What names are variants of Ryan?
Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Ryan.
Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
Rian
|
King
|
Gaelic
|
|
|
Rien
|
Of the sea; king
|
Latin
|
|
|
Rion
|
King
|
Gaelic
|
|
|
Ryen
|
King
|
Gaelic
|
|
|
Ryon
|
King
|
Gaelic
|
|
|
Ryun
|
King
|
Gaelic
|
|
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What names sound like Ryan?
If you like how Ryan sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Ryan.
Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
Orion
|
Boundary
|
Greek
|
|
|
Riley
|
Rye clearing
|
Irish
|
|
|
Roan
|
Little red-head
|
Gaelic
|
|
|
Ronan
|
Little seal
|
Irish
|
|
|
Rowan
|
Of the rowan tree
|
Gaelic
|
|
|
Royan
|
Red-haired, red; ascending
|
Indian (Sanskrit)
|
|
|
Ryder
|
Mounted warrior
|
English
|
|
|
Ryker
|
Rich
|
English
|
|
|
Rylan
|
Rye land
|
English
|
|
|
Ryland
|
Land where rye is grown
|
English
|
|
|
Rylee
|
Descendant of Roghallach
|
Irish
|
|
|
Ryley
|
Rye clearing
|
English
|
|
|
What names are similar to Ryan?
Find a name that’s like Ryan, but just a little bit different.
Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
Aiden
|
Little fire
|
Irish
|
|
|
Brandon
|
Broom hill
|
English
|
|
|
Brendan
|
Prince
|
Irish
|
|
|
Conner
|
Dog lover
|
Irish
|
|
|
Ian
|
God is gracious
|
Scottish
|
|
|
James
|
Supplanter
|
English
|
|
|
John
|
God is gracious
|
Hebrew
|
|
|
Liam
|
Helmet of will
|
Irish
|
|
|
Owen
|
Noble born
|
Welsh
|
|
|
Sean
|
God is gracious
|
Irish
|
|
|
Lists With Ryan
Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name Ryan.
Siblings of Ryan
Mamas with kids named Ryan also have kids with these names.
Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
Ennis
|
One choice
|
Celtic
|
|
|
Brucey
|
|
French
|
|
|
Alexandria
|
Defender of man
|
Greek
|
|
|
Gladys
|
“The bright one,” from the Anglo- Saxon glaecl, bright, shining.
|
Welsh
|
|
|
Anastasia
|
Resurrection
|
Greek
|
|
|
Joseph
|
Jehovah will increase
|
Hebrew
|
|
|
Elisia
|
From the blessed isles
|
Latin
|
|
|
Katiana
|
Form of Katherine
|
European
|
|
|
Emilia
|
To rival
|
Latin
|
|
|
Landon
|
Long hill
|
English
|
|
|
Logan
|
Small hollow
|
Scottish
|
|
|
Liam
|
Helmet of will
|
Irish
|
|
|
Matthew
|
Gift of God
|
Hebrew
|
|
|
Earl
|
Nobleman, warrior, prince
|
English
|
|
|
Calvin
|
Hairless one
|
English
|
|
|
John
|
God is gracious
|
Hebrew
|
|
|