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Bryan Family History

Bryan Surname Meaning

English and Irish: variant of Bryant. Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Ó Briain see O'Brien.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Bryan family from?

You can see how Bryan families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bryan family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bryan families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 95 Bryan families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 12% of all the recorded Bryan's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Bryan families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bryan surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Bryan ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Bryan. 17% of Bryan men worked as a Farmer and 8% of Bryan women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Bryan were Truck Driver and Housekeeper.

View Census Data for Bryan | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    17%
  • Laborer
    14%
  • Salesman
    6%
  • Truck Driver
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Teacher
    8%
  • Housewife
    7%
  • Stenographer
    5%
  • Housekeeper
    5%

What Bryan family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 409,000 census records available for the last name Bryan. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bryan census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Bryan

Passenger Lists

There are 59,000 immigration records available for the last name Bryan. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 75,000 military records available for the last name Bryan. For the veterans among your Bryan ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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