Find out how popular the last name Bryant is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bryant.

Bryant, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bryant surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bryant in America

Bryant is the 128th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bryant surname appeared 192,773 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 65 people would have the surname Bryant.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bryant to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bryant

The surname Bryant originated in England and is of Anglo-Saxon descent. It is derived from the Old English words "bri" meaning "bridge" and "ant" meaning "dweller". The name was given to someone who lived near a bridge or lived in the bridgehouse. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was Briante in the Domesday Book of 1086.

In the 13th century, the name was recorded as Briant and Bryant. It was also found in various places such as Briantespill, a place in Suffolk, and Bryantston, a village in Dorset. The name was widespread across England, with concentrations in the southern counties of Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Sir Guy de Bryant, a knight who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence in the early 14th century. In the 15th century, John Bryant was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name was well-established across England. Notable individuals included William Bryant (1535-1619), a poet and translator from Lincolnshire, and Sir Francis Bryant (1579-1644), a Member of Parliament and landowner from Buckinghamshire.

In the 18th century, Jacob Bryant (1715-1804) was a prominent English antiquarian and scholar who wrote extensively on ancient mythology and history. William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) was an American romantic poet and journalist, best known for his poems "Thanatopsis" and "To a Waterfowl".

In the 19th century, Walter Bryant (1832-1904) was a British artist and illustrator, known for his paintings of rural life and landscapes. Sophie Bryant (1850-1922) was an English writer and social reformer who campaigned for women's rights and education.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bryant

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bryant.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bryant was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bryant has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bryant was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bryant, please contact us.

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