Find out how popular the last name O'Bryon 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'Bryon.

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

Popularity of O'Bryon in America

O'Bryon is the 61585th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The O'Bryon surname appeared 326 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname O'Bryon.

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

The surname OBRYON originated in Ireland during the Middle Ages. It is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name O'Briain, which means "descendant of Brian." The name is derived from the personal name Brian, which is believed to have its roots in the Old Celtic word meaning "high" or "noble."

The OBRYON surname is closely associated with the historic Irish clan of O'Brien, one of the most influential and powerful families in medieval Ireland. The O'Briens traced their ancestry back to Brian Boru, the High King of Ireland who reigned from 1002 to 1014 and is renowned for his victory over the Vikings at the Battle of Clontarf.

The earliest recorded instances of the OBRYON surname can be found in ancient Irish annals and manuscripts dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries. The surname is mentioned in the Annals of Inisfallen, which chronicle events in medieval Ireland, and is also referenced in the Book of Leinster, an important collection of Irish literature from the 12th century.

One of the earliest notable figures with the OBRYON surname was Conor O'Brien, King of Thomond, who lived in the 13th century and played a significant role in the struggles between the Irish and the Anglo-Norman invaders. Another prominent individual was Murrough O'Brien, Earl of Thomond and Baron of Inchiquin, who was born in 1614 and served as a military commander during the Irish Confederate Wars and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.

The OBRYON surname has also been linked to several notable places in Ireland, such as the town of Ennis in County Clare, which was once the capital of the O'Brien kingdom of Thomond. The nearby Quin Abbey, founded in the 12th century, was a significant site for the O'Brien clan and contains numerous references to the surname in its historical records.

Throughout history, several other notable individuals have borne the OBRYON surname, including:

1. William Smith O'Brien (1803-1864), an Irish revolutionary leader and Member of Parliament who led the Young Ireland movement.
2. Lucius O'Brien (1800-1873), an Irish-American novelist and writer known for his works depicting life in the American South.
3. Dermod O'Brien (1823-1885), an Irish-born Australian politician and lawyer who served as the 14th Premier of Victoria.
4. Brendan O'Brien (1941-2017), an Irish hurler and Gaelic football player who played for Tipperary and won several All-Ireland titles.
5. Edna O'Brien (born 1930), an Irish novelist, memoirist, and playwright known for her novels about the inner lives of women.

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

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

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'Bryon 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'Bryon 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'Bryon 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'Bryon, please contact us.

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