From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ryan |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Origin: |
Irish |
| Meaning: |
"Little king" |
|
Ryan is a name from Irish Gaelic whose meaning and origin are derived from the old gaelic word "righ" and the old irish diminutive of "an" which together form the meaning of the name as "little king"). The modern Irish form of this name is O' Riain - a contraction of the older Irish form O'Mulriain (commonly anglicised as Mulryan) which is now virtually extinct.
While Ryan remains one of the ten most common surnames in Ireland, it is becoming increasingly common as a given name - particularly in the UK and the US. As might be expected given its origins as a surname, the gender of Ryan as a first name is ambiguous - though it is currently twice as likely to be masculine as feminine.[citation needed]
[edit] Family Name
- Andrew Ryan, Australian rugby league player
- B.J. Ryan, baseball player
- Barry Ryan (born 1948), English pop singer
- Barry Ryan (born 1949), U.S. Catholic priest
- Bianca Ryan, American singer and America's Got Talent finalist
- Blanchard Ryan
- Bo Ryan
- Bob Ryan
- Buddy Ryan
- Chris Ryan
- Christopher Ryan
- Claude Ryan
- Cornelius Ryan
- Eric Ryan
- Frank Ryan
- George H. Ryan, Former Illinois governor
- Gerry Ryan, Irish radio presenter
- Greg Ryan
- Harold M. Ryan (b. 1911), U.S. Representative from Michigan
- Irene Ryan (1902–1973), actress
- Jack Ryan, designer
- Jack Ryan, Senate candidate
- Jeri Ryan, U.S. actress
- Jim Ryan (born 1947), Olympic runner and U.S. Congressman
- Jimmy Ryan, 19th century baseball player
- Joan Ryan
- Joe Ryan
- John Ryan, 1857 recipient of the Victoria Cross
- John Ryan, 1863 recipient of the Victoria Cross
- John Ryan, 1918 recipient of the Victoria Cross
- John Dale Ryan
- Kevin Ryan, New Zealand long-distance runner
- Karen Ryan
- Lacy Ryan (c.1694–1760), English actor
- Leo Ryan, Former Congressman from San Francisco
- Lucille Frances Ryan, a.k.a. Lucy Lawless
- Matt Ryan
- Meg Ryan (born 1961), U.S. actress
- Michael Ryan, mass murderer in the Hungerford Massacre
- Michael E. Ryan, former Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
- Michael Thomas Ryan, a video game developer
- Michelle Ryan
- Miles Ryan
- Nolan Ryan (born 1947), baseball player
- Patrick John Ryan
- Paul Ryan (1948–1992), British singer and songwriter
- Paul Ryan (born 1970), U.S. politician
- Peggy Ryan
- Perry T. Ryan, American author
- Peter Ryan disambiguation
- Prestin Ryan, Canadian ice hockey player
- Richie Ryan, Irish politician
- Robert Ryan (1909–1973), actor
- Ronald Ryan
- Thomas Joseph Ryan
- Thomas Jay Ryan, actor
- Tim Ryan
- Tommy Ryan
- Tony Ryan
- Warren Ryan
[edit] Fictional Characters
[edit] Places
[edit] Film and television
[edit] Other uses
