Explore the Family Name O’ryan

The meaning of O’ryan

Irish: 1. (Leinster): Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Riagháin (modern Irish Ó Riain) ‘descendant of Riaghán’, a personal name probably based on the word rí ‘king’. See Ryan. 2. (Munster): Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Maoilriaghain ‘descendant of Maoilriaghain’, a personal name meaning ‘follower of Riaghán’. See Ryan. 3. (Connacht): Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Ruaidhín ‘descendant of the little red one’, from a diminutive of ruadh ‘red’, more usually Anglicized as Ruane. See Ryan.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name O’ryan in the United States?

The popularity of the surname O’Ryan has demonstrated a notable increase, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, its rank was 58,553 and by 2010, it had ascended to 53,667, equating to an increase of 8.34%. The number of individuals bearing this surname also rose over this decade, with a count of 324 in 2000 climbing to 385 in 2010, indicating an 18.83% growth. Furthermore, the proportion of people named O’Ryan per 100k increased by 8.33%, moving from 0.12 in 2000 to 0.13 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#58,553#53,6678.34%
Count32438518.83%
Proportion per 100k0.120.138.33%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name O’ryan

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the majority of those with the O’Ryan surname identify as White, although there was a slight decrease of 0.73% between 2000 and 2010. Meanwhile, there were no individuals of Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnic identity associated with the surname in 2000; however, by 2010, the Asian/Pacific Islander representation reached 1.3%. Those identifying with two or more races also emerged within the O’Ryan surname bearers, accounting for 1.56% in 2010. The percentage of Hispanic individuals increased by 3.24%, while those identifying as Black decreased by 8.24% over the same time period.

20002010Change
White87.65%87.01%-0.73%
Hispanic6.79%7.01%3.24%
Black3.4%3.12%-8.24%
Two or More Races0%1.56%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%1.3%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%