Bryan (surname)

Bryan is a surname found in the English-speaking world.

This surname has several different origins. One origin of the name is from an Anglo-Norman name, de Brionne,[1] derived from either of two places called Brionne in the north of France—one is Brionne, in Eure; the other is Brionne in Creuse. It may also come from de Brienne from Brienne-le-Château.[2] Another origin of the surname is as a patronymic, being borne by someone who was son of an individual named Bryan. In addition to being found in Brittany, it was used among the Breton followers of the Normans who appear in England and Ireland. Alternatively, Bryan might be the anglicized form of the Irish surname O'Brien.[3] The Irish spelling of the surname Brien, Brian or the Norman spelling Bryan would then have a much longer origin in Ireland than in Brittany, predating the Normans.[4]