From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Brian
Brian
Brian Surname
• Donald Brian (1877-1948), Canadian-American actor,
Gender Male dancer, and singer
Origin • Havergal Brian (1876–1972), British classical
composer
Word/ Irish; Breton
• Mary Brian (1906–2002), American actress and movie
Name
star
Meaning possibly "high" or "noble" Given name
Region of Ireland; Brittany • Brian Alderson (1950–1997), Scottish footballer
origin • Brian Bell (musician) (born 1968), member of
American rock group Weezer
Other names
• Brian Blessed (born 1937), English actor
Related Breanna, Breanne, Brianna, Brianne, Brion, • Brian Boitano (born 1963), American figure skater
names Brina, Bryan, Bryant • Brian Boru (941-1014), Irish king who overthrew the
centuries-long domination of the Kingship of Ireland
Brian is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin,[1] by the Uí Néill
as well as a surname of Occitan origin.[2] It is common in • Brian Clough (1935–2004), British football manager
the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is • Brian Cowen (born 1960), former Taoiseach (Prime
derived from an Old Celtic word meaning "high" or "no- Minister) of the Republic of Ireland
ble".[1] For example the element bre means "hill"; which • Brian de la Puente (born 1985), NFL football player
could be transferred to mean "eminence" or "exalted • Brian De Palma (born 1940), American film director
one".[2] The name is quite popular in Ireland, on account • Brian Eno (born 1948), English electronic musician,
of Brian Boru, a 10th century king of Ireland. The name music theorist and record producer
was also quite popular in East Anglia during the Middle • Brian Epstein (1934–1967), English businessperson,
Ages. This is because the name was introduced to Eng- manager of The Beatles
land by Bretons following the Norman Conquest.[1] Bre- • Brian Horwitz (nickamed "The Rabbi"; born 1982),
tons also settled in Ireland along with the Normans in the American major league baseball outfielder
12th century, and ’their’ name was mingled with the ’Ir- • Brian Johnson (born 1947), member and lead vocalist
ish’ version.[2] Also, in the north-west of England, the ’Ir- of the hard rock band AC/DC
ish’ name was introduced by Scandinavian settlers from • Brian Johnston (1912–1994), British cricket
Ireland. Within the Gaelic speaking areas of Scotland, the commentator
name was at first only used by professional families of Ir- • Brian Jones (1942–1969), founding member, guitarist
ish origin.[1] It was the fourth most popular male name in and multi-instrumentalist in the English rock group
the United Kingdom in 1934, but a sharp decline followed The Rolling Stones
over the remainder of the 20th century and by 1994 it had • Brian Joo (born 1981), American-born Korean singer,
fallen out of the top 100.[3] former member of the R&B duo Fly to the Sky
The surname Brian is sometimes an English and Irish • Brian Jossie (born 1977), American professional
variant spelling of the surname Bryan. The English and wrestler performing under the ring name of Abraham
French surname Brian is sometimes derived from the per- Washington
sonal Celtic personal name shown above. The surname • Brian Joubert (born 1984), French figure skater and
Brian can also sometimes be a French surname; derived 2007 World Champion
from the Old Occitan word brian, meaning "maggot" and • Brian Lara (born 1969), former West Indian cricketer
used as a nickname.[2] • Brian Laudrup (born 1969), former Danish
Variants of the name include Briant, Brien, Bran, Bri- international soccer player
on, Bryan, Bryant, Brjánn (in Icelandic) and Bryon.[4] • Brian Littrell (born 1975), member of the boy band,
The Backstreet Boys
Selected people with this name • Brian May (born 1947), famous guitarist from the
band, Queen
• Brian (mythology), Celtic mythological figure • Brian McKnight (born 1969), R&B singer
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Brian
• Brian Molko (born 1972), lead vocalist of the band • Brian Kinney on Queer as Folk (US), played by Gale
Placebo Harold
• Brian Moore (disambiguation)
• Brian Moorman (born 1976), American football
player for the Buffalo Bills
Media titles
• Brian Mulroney (born 1939), former Canadian prime Some films and television shows which contain the name
minister (1984–1993) Brian include:
• Brian O’Driscoll (born 1979), Irish rugby player • Brian’s Song (1971, 2001)
• Brian Paddick (born 1958), British politician • Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)
• Brian Peaker (born 1959), Canadian rower • What About Brian, television series that began in 2006
• Brian Piccolo (1943–1970), American football player • Burying Brian, mini New Zealand TV series
for the Chicago Bears and subject of TV movie Brian’s
Song
• Brian Retterer (born 1972), American swimmer
See also
• Brian Smith (disambiguation) • All pages beginning with "Brian"
• Brian Urlacher (born 1978), American football player • Brian (disambiguation)
for the Chicago Bears • Bryan (given name)
• Brian Viloria (born 1980), American boxer • List of Irish-language given names
• Brian Warner (born 1969), American singer, better
known by his stage name Marilyn Manson References
• Brian Westbrook (born 1979), American football
player for the Philadelphia Eagles [1] ^ A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University
• Brian Wilson (born 1942), member of American Press. ISBN 0192800507.
music group, The Beach Boys [2] ^ Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford
• Brian Wilson (baseball) (born 1982), pitcher for the University Press. ISBN 0-19-508137-4.
San Francisco Giants [3] BabyNames.co.uk
Fictional characters [4] Noel Higgins & Jeanne Goldner, Names, Names,
• Brian Griffin on Family Guy, voiced by Seth Names, A Book for You (Middletown, Connecticut:
MacFarlane Weekly Reader Books, 1986), page 8-b.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brian&oldid=462074391"
Categories:
• Surnames
• English-language given names
• Gaelic-language given names
• Irish masculine given names
• Surnames of Irish origin
• French-language surnames
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