Byran
Byran is an English masculine name derived from the Welsh name Brian, meaning "high" or "noble".
Name Census estimates that about 1,284 living Americans carry the first name Byran. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Byran today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Byran births was 1986 (48 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Byran. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Byran with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 266,943 Americans
Peak year
1986
48 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2021 SSA rank
#12,437
Tracked since 1921
Census
Byran in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,009 people with the first name Byran, which placed it at #12,361 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#12,361
National first-name rank
People counted
1.0K
1,009 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
42.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Byran
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Byran is White at 42.1%. The next largest groups are Black (34.4%) and Hispanic (14.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Byran described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Byran at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White42.1% · 425
- Black or African American34.4% · 347
- Hispanic or Latino14.8% · 149
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 38
- Two or more races3.4% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 16
Popularity
Byran: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Byran from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 372 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Byran by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Byran during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Byrans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Byran, while Tennessee, Georgia, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Byran
The name Byran is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "byre," meaning "barn" or "cattle-shed." It is believed to have emerged as a surname in medieval times, referring to someone who lived or worked near a barn or cowshed.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Byran dates back to the 13th century, when it appeared in the Hundred Rolls of 1273 as a surname. This historical record was a census-like document that listed landowners in England at the time.
While the name Byran does not have any direct ties to religious texts or ancient scriptures, it has been borne by several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Byran Tew, an English Puritan clergyman who lived from 1566 to 1644. He was known for his work as a minister and his opposition to the policies of the Church of England under Archbishop William Laud.
Another historically significant figure with the name Byran was Sir Byran de Walden, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He was recorded as participating in the Battle of Crécy in 1346, where the English forces led by Edward III defeated the French army.
In the realm of literature, Byran Waller Procter (1787-1858) was an English poet and literary critic who published under the pseudonym "Barry Cornwall." He was a contemporary of Lord Byron and was known for his lyrical poetry and critical essays.
Moving to more recent times, Byran Untiedt (1941-2020) was an American musician and songwriter who co-founded the influential rock band Nazareth. He was the band's lead singer and primary songwriter, contributing to their hits like "Love Hurts" and "Hair of the Dog."
Another notable bearer of the name was Byran Preston, an American journalist and political commentator who gained prominence in the late 20th and early 21st centuries for his conservative views and commentary on various media outlets.
While these examples provide a glimpse into the historical and cultural significance of the name Byran, it is important to note that the name's origins and usage have evolved over time, reflecting the diverse communities and individuals who have embraced it.
People
Byran + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Byran as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Byran: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Byran?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,284 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Byran going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 266,943 US residents.
Is Byran a common name?
We classify Byran as "Rare". It ranks above 91.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,400 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Byran most popular?
The single biggest year for Byran was 1986, when 48 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Byran is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Byran in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,009 people with the name Byran, or 0.33 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,361 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Byran in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Byran?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Byran appears almost entirely male. Of the 1,006 people counted with this name, 99.7% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Byran?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Byran is White at 42.1%. The next largest groups are Black (34.4%) and Hispanic (14.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Byran most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Byran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.1% (425 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Byran in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Byran a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Byran in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Byran still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Byran in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Byran can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Byran?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.