Meaning and history
Ryan comes from a common Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Ó Riain, a patronymic based on the given name Rian. Its meaning is uncertain, though it is traditionally interpreted as "little king," from Irish rí, "king," with a diminutive suffix. The name grew steadily in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s, then rose sharply after the 1970 film Ryan's Daughter and remained in the top 20 for more than three decades. Notable bearers include Canadian actors Ryan Reynolds and Ryan Gosling.
20062006: 16,434 births, rank #14
2007: 15,722 births, rank #16
2008: 14,686 births, rank #18
2009: 13,122 births, rank #20
2010: 11,981 births, rank #23
20112011: 11,503 births, rank #25
2012: 10,944 births, rank #26
2013: 9,895 births, rank #30
2014: 9,098 births, rank #37
2015: 8,548 births, rank #39
20162016: 8,261 births, rank #40
2017: 7,706 births, rank #44
2018: 6,943 births, rank #46
2019: 6,127 births, rank #54
2020: 5,348 births, rank #57
20212021: 4,735 births, rank #66
2022: 4,403 births, rank #74
2023: 4,035 births, rank #83
2024: 3,906 births, rank #87
20252025: 3,532 births, rank #99
Ryan moved from #87 to #99 for boys between 2024 and 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 1985, with 29,905 births.