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

O'Brian, 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 O'Brian surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of O'Brian in America

O'Brian is the 10064th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The O'Brian surname appeared 3,203 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname O'Brian.

We can also compare 2010 data for O'Brian 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 O'Brian

The surname OBRIAN has its origins in Ireland and is derived from the Gaelic personal name Ó Briain, meaning 'descendant of Brian'. The name Brian is a Celtic name meaning 'high' or 'noble'. The surname was originally found primarily in counties Clare and Tipperary.

The name can be traced back to the 10th century and the notable Brian Boru, an Irish king who reigned as High King of Ireland from 1002 until his death in 1014. Brian Boru is regarded as one of the most influential Irish monarchs and was known for his efforts to unite the Irish clans against the Vikings.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname OBRIAN appears in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history dating back to the 11th century. The name is also found in the Annals of Ulster, another important historical source from the same period.

In the 13th century, the OBRIAN surname is recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Cloyne, which were records of taxation and land ownership in the diocese of Cloyne in County Cork. During this time, the surname was also associated with the Barony of Inchiquin in County Clare.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname OBRIAN. One of the most famous was Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Thomond (1614-1674), an Irish nobleman and military leader who fought for the Royalists during the English Civil War.

Another was William Smith O'Brien (1803-1864), an Irish nationalist and revolutionary who led the Young Ireland movement and participated in the Irish Rebellion of 1848. He was convicted of sedition and transported to Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) before being pardoned in 1856.

In the realm of literature, Edna O'Brien (born 1930) is a renowned Irish novelist and memoirist, known for works such as "The Country Girls" and "The Little Red Chairs".

Other notable individuals with the surname include Lucius O'Brien (1800-1867), an Irish-American politician and lawyer who served as the 14th Mayor of New York City, and Conor Cruise O'Brien (1917-2008), an Irish diplomat, writer, and political theorist.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name O'Brian

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname O'Brian.

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 O'Brian 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 O'Brian 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 O'Brian was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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