Ryan (surname)


Ryan is a common surname of Irish origin, as well as being a common given name in the English-speaking world.

Origins and meaning

There are several different origins for the surname. In some cases it may be a shortened form of O'Ryan, which is an Anglicized adaptation of the Gaelic surname Ó Riain, meaning "descendant of Rian". It can also be a shortened form of Mulryan or O'Mulryan, which are derived from the Gaelic Ó Maoilriain, meaning "descendant of the follower of Rian".
The meaning of the Old Irish name Rian is unknown. Some sources have suggested that it is related to the Old Irish word rían, meaning "water" or "ocean". Others have suggested that it is related to the Old Irish word rí, meaning "king". Both of these etymologies have been discounted by scholars, however. According to John Ryan, Professor of Early and Medieval History at University College Dublin, "What the Rian in the surnames Ó Riain and Ó Maolriain is has never been satisfactorily explained. Rian, like Niall, seems to be so ancient that its meaning was lost before records began."
Popular modern sources typically suggest that Ryan means "little king" or "illustrious".
There are also cases in which Ryan is an Americanized form of the German surname Rein.

List of persons with the surname Ryan

A–D