RyanName meaning, origin and popularity
Ryan is a boy’s name of Irish origin. Its traditional meaning is “little king”.
Ryan at a glance
- Meaning
- little king
- Origin
- Irish
- Gender
- Boy
- Letters
- 4
- First letter
- R
- NSW rank 2025
- #81 for boys
How popular is Ryan in Australia?
In 2025, Ryan was number 81 in the NSW top 100 for boys, with 102 babies registered. In 2024 it was number 72. Its highest rank for boys was number 8 in 2005, and it has been in the top 100 in 53 of the 74 years since 1952.
| Year | 1975 | 1985 | 1995 | 2005 | 2015 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank (boys) | #65 | #21 | #22 | #8 | #22 | #72 | #81 |
“–” means the name was outside the top 100 that year. Source: NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Popular Baby Names 1952 to 2025 (Data.NSW, data as at 26 March 2026). The list covers the top 100 names for each sex per year in NSW only. See popular baby names for the full 2025 top 20.
Names similar to Ryan
Other Irish names for boys (including unisex names):
- SeamusIrish
- SeanIrish
- TadhgIrish
- AidanIrish
- BrianIrish
- CaseyIrish
- CianIrish
- ColmIrish
- ConorIrish
- DaraIrish
- DarraghIrish
- DesmondIrish
More names starting with R:
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About our name meanings: meanings and origins shown on Littlenamer are the traditional, commonly cited etymologies. Sources vary, many names have more than one possible origin, and the same name can carry different meanings in different languages. Japanese name meanings depend on the characters (kanji) chosen. Please treat them as a friendly starting point rather than a definitive record. If you are drawn to a name from a culture other than your own, it is worth learning a little about its background and significance.