Brian

See also: brian

English

Alternative forms

• Bryan, Bryon

Etymology

Borrowed from Irish Brian.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈbɹaɪən/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪən

Proper noun

Brian

1. A male given name from Irish.
   • 1865, Charlotte Eliza L. Riddell, Maxwell Drewitt, London: Tinsley Brothers, pages 255–256:

     "What the deuce is their fancy for calling the young beggar Brian?" he inquired."Is it Brian Boroimhe they have gone back to, or is it some of her people, or what?"
     "There was a good Drewitt once," answered Wilhelmina, "- - - and his name was Brian. - - - And Nannie told her, too, how a child always strains after the person it is called after, and how luck follows names, and worked her up to such a pit finally, that nothing would do her but the young gentleman must be called Brian and accordingly Brian he is - Brian Archibald. It is not an easy name to make fun out of; so all I can do is to call him Brin Baldy.

   • 2008, Phill Young, FarArc, Author House, →ISBN, page 145:

     Why oh why had his parents even considered Brian? Brian is someone who works in a hardware shop or fixes the U bend. What chance did Sir Lovesdaslutalot have in life with a name like Brian? You can't even shorten Brian to Bri without it sounding like a kind of cheese!

2. A surname.

Usage notes

After the Middle Ages, mostly used in Ireland; and again popular in all English-speaking countries in the 20th century.

Related terms

• Bri
• Bryant
• O'Brian, O'Brien
• (feminine forms): Briana, Brianna, Brianne

Translations

male given name

• Arabic: بْرَايَن m (brāyan)
• Azerbaijani: Brayan
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 布賴恩／布赖恩 (Bùlài'ēn)

• Esperanto: Brajan
• Greek: Μπράιαν (el) m (Bráian)
• Hawaiian: Palaina
• Icelandic: Brjánn (is) m
• Irish: Brian m
• Japanese: ブライアン (Buraian)
• Korean: 브라이언 (Beuraieon)
• Persian: برایان (berâyân)
• Russian: Бра́йан (ru) m (Brájan)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: Брајан m

• Ukrainian: Бра́ян m (Brájan)
• Vietnamese: Brai-ơn

Further reading

• Brian Boru on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Barin, Brain, Rabin, abrin, bairn, brain

Cebuano

Etymology 1

Unknown.

Proper noun

Brian

1. a surname

Etymology 2

From English Brian, from Irish Brian.

Proper noun

Brian

1. a male given name from Irish

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from English Brian in the 20th century, ultimately from Irish.

Proper noun

Brian

1. a male given name

References

• [1] Danskernes Navne, based on CPR data: 22 165 males with the given name Brian have been registered in Denmark between about 1890 (=the population alive in 1967) and January 2005, with the frequency peak in the 1970s. Accessed on 19 June 2011.

Faroese

Etymology

From English Brian (possibly via Danish Brian), ultimately from Irish Brian.

Proper noun

Brian m

1. a male given name

Usage notes

• son of Brian: Briansson
• daughter of Brian: Briansdóttir

Declension

	Singular
	Indefinite
Nominative	Brian
Accusative	Brian
Dative	Briani
Genitive	Brians

French

Etymology

Via English Brian from Irish Brian, ultimately from Breton Brien.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʁa.jan/

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Brian m

1. a male given name

Irish

Etymology

Probably from Breton Brien, Brian. The name Brian seems to have been unknown in Ireland before Brian Boru, founder of the Ua Briain or Uí Bhriain dynasty, although the possibly related name Brión is found earlier, in Brión mac Echach Muigmedóin, the 4th/5th century ancestor of the Uí Briúin dynasty.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bʲɾʲiən̪ˠ]

Proper noun

Brian m (genitive Briain)

1. a male given name

Derived terms

• Ó Briain, Ní Bhriain (“O'Brien”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of Brian

radical	lenition	eclipsis
Brian	Bhrian	mBrian

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “Brian”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN