Meaning and Origin of: Ryan

Girl name origins & meanings

  • Gaelic : Little king

Girl name variations

Ryen
Rian
Ryanne

Boy name origins & meanings

  • Gaelic : Little king

Boy name variations

Rhine
Rhyan
Rhyne
Ry
Ryane
Ryen
Rian
Ryanne
Ryun

Family name origins & meanings

  • Irish : simplified form of Mulryan.
  • Irish : reduced form of O’Ryan, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Riagháin (modern Irish Ó Riain) ‘descendant of Rian’; Ó Maoilriain ‘descendant of Maoilriaghain’, or Ó Ruaidhín ‘descendant of the little red one’. Ryan is one of the commonest surnames in Ireland; there has been considerable confusion with Regan.
  • Americanized spelling of German Rein.

Famous people with this first name

Ryan Murphy
Ryan O'Neal
Ryan Phillippe

Famous people with this last name

Meg Ryan

Famous people who gave their babies this name

Jackson Browne
Marc Anthony