Baby name meaning

Ryan

Little king · Irish origin

Meaning & origin

Ryan is a male name of Irish origin, meaning “Little king”.

How popular is Ryan?

In England & Wales, Ryan ranked #132 among boys' names in 2024, with 416 babies given the name — down from #69 in 2014. Its strongest year in the England & Wales series is 1996, when it reached #7.

In the United States, Ryan was the #57 boys' name in the 2020 data, after peaking at #11 in 1990.

Ryan — popularity rank over timePopularity rank of the boys' name Ryan over time, lower rank number = more popular. England and Wales annual rank 1996 to 2024. United States rank sampled one year per decade, 1950 to 2020.#1#10#100#1,00019501960197019801990200020102024US 1950: #690US 1960: #408US 1970: #140US 1980: #15US 1990: #11US 2000: #13US 2010: #23US 2020: #57England & Wales 2024: #132United StatesEngland & Wales
Ryan’s popularity rank over time — England & Wales annual rank (solid) and United States rank sampled once per decade (dashed), #1 at the top. Log scale: each gridline is 10× the rank above it.
Ryan in England & Wales: rank and births in sampled years, plus its peak year. Source: ONS ‘Baby names in England and Wales’.
YearE&W rankBirths
1996#76,496
2000#154,271
2005#252,933
2010#302,489
2015#69955
2020#101590
2024#132416

Famous Ryans

More on Ryan

Irish, effortlessly cool and quietly regal, a name that has aged far better than most of its era.

Ryan: the little king who never went out of style — Ryan as our Name of the Day.

Swipe & match on Ryan in Settle