How popular is the name Ryan?

Ryan ranks 34th among boys' names in US records, with 1,008,425 births since 1906. Over the past decade it accounts for 61,402.

Is Ryan a unisex name?

No. Ryan is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.

1985, when 30,003 children were given the name. It has been in use for 119 years and is still recorded as of 2024.

Ryon, Rion, Ryen, Ryann, Wryan, Ryean. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.

Boy name#34 of boy names

Pronounced R AY1 AE1 N (ARPABET)

Ryan is a boys' name, and first appears in 1906. It has been given to 1,008,425 children — the 34th most common boys' name on record.

It is falling away, down 54% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1985, when 30,003 children were given it.

Six other spellings are counted in that total — Ryon, Rion, Ryen and three more — because they are pronounced identically.

1985Boys: 30,003Girls: 678

These spellings sound identical to Ryan and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.

Phonetic detail

Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.

Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.

Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.

How popular is the name Ryan?: Ryan ranks 34th among boys' names in US records, with 1,008,425 births since 1906. Over the past decade it accounts for 61,402.
Is Ryan a unisex name?: No. Ryan is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Ryan most popular?: 1985, when 30,003 children were given the name. It has been in use for 119 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
How else is Ryan spelled?: Ryon, Rion, Ryen, Ryann, Wryan, Ryean. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.