About the name Brian

About the baby name Brian, at Click Baby Names.com

Note: This article may feature affiliate links to Amazon or other companies, and purchases made via these links may earn us a small commission at no additional cost to you. Find out more here.

Facebook
Twitter/X
Pinterest
Email
Reddit
If you like the name Brian, find out the meaning, origin, nicknames, variations and other information to help you decide if you want to use this first name for your baby.
Name meaning, variations & etymology
  • In use in England since the Middle Ages
  • May be connected with the Irish word for Hill, thus “He ascends”
  • Some texts define it as meaning “strong”
  • Also commonly spelled Bryan
  • Feminine variations include Briana, Brianna
  • 10th century Brian Boru was a high king and great national hero of Ireland
 

History of the name Brian

From Connellan’s Four Masters: Brian is represented by our old annalists as a man of fine figure, large stature, of great strength of body, and undaunted valor; and has been always justly celebrated as one of the greatest of the Irish monarchs.

He is equally conspicuous for his mental endowments and physical energies; a man of great intellectual powers, sagacity, and bravery; a warrior and legislator; and, at the same time, distinguished for his munificence, piety, and patronage of learned men; thus combining all the elements of a great character, and equally eminent in the arts of war and peace; a hero and patriot, whose memory will always remain famous as one of the foremost of the Irish kings, in wisdom and valor.

Brian lived at his palace of Cean Cora (Kincora), in a style of regal splendor and magnificence, unequaled by any of the Irish kings since the days of Cormac Mac Art, the celebrated monarch of Ireland in the third century — the glories of whose palace at Tara were for many ages the theme of the Irish bards.

origin/Nationality

Irish

baby Name length

5 letters (popular name length)

See related baby names

, , , , , ,

FREE baby name printable

Click below to download a large version of this baby name design! You can create something great with this graphic: print it out and frame it as a decoration for your baby’s room, or use the design for a cut file to use with an electronic cutting machine (such as a Cricut or Silhouette).

After clicking the name image below, look in the upper right for saving and sharing options. This download is for personal use only, but if you know someone who might like one of their own, please send them a link to this site!

Also see these articles