Meaning and history
Meaning uncertain, it may come from the old Celtic root * brixs “hill, high” (Old Irish brí) or the related * brigā “might, power” (Old Irish bríg). The name was borne by the Irish king Brian Boru, who thwarted Viking attempts to conquer Ireland in the 11th century and was killed at the Battle of Clontarf, even though his forces won decisively. It became common in Ireland after his time, was introduced to northern England by Norse-Gael settlers, and also used in Brittany before being brought to England by Bretons after the Norman Conquest. Although it later became rare in the English-speaking world, it was strongly revived in the 20th century and became a top-ten boys’ name in most regions.
20062006: 6,511 births, rank #72
2007: 6,075 births, rank #81
2008: 5,263 births, rank #87
2009: 4,658 births, rank #94
2010: 3,766 births, rank #101
20112011: 3,250 births, rank #122
2012: 2,820 births, rank #141
2013: 2,645 births, rank #150
2014: 2,536 births, rank #168
2015: 2,218 births, rank #188
20162016: 1,984 births, rank #204
2017: 1,778 births, rank #216
2018: 1,631 births, rank #235
2019: 1,479 births, rank #247
2020: 1,261 births, rank #271
20212021: 1,188 births, rank #288
2022: 1,180 births, rank #289
2023: 1,049 births, rank #317
2024: 1,116 births, rank #302
20252025: 979 births, rank #339
Brian moved from #302 to #339 for boys between 2024 and 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 1972, with 36,306 births.