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Behind the Name: Ryan

ETYMOLOGY
Ryan means "little king" in its original ancient Irish Gaelic, ri- meaning "king" with -an being a diminutive.

ORIGIN & HISTORY
Ryan is derived from an Irish surname. It originated as Maoliriaghain, meaning "descendant of a devotee of St. Riaghail or Regulus," in the barony of Owney, on the border of Limerick and Tipperary Counties in Ireland. (St. Regulus was a bishop of Greece and caretaker of the relics of Saint Andrew the Apostle until he received a vision telling him to take the relics west and to found a church of Christ among the heathens. He and his companions landed in 346 at Kilrimont where he built the earliest Christian church in Scotland.) The Irish followers' name became Anglicized as Mulryan and then later was shortened to Ryan. Some mothers proud of their ancient Ryan heritage chose to give their maiden names as first names to their sons and daughters. Gradually the name became popular outside of the clan.

POPULARITY
It is used in most English speaking countries but is most popular in Scotland and Canada. In the United States, the first name of Ryan shot from relative obscurity to popularity in the mid twentieth-century. It barely made the top 900th name in 1940 but by 1970 it was one of the top male names chosen in the United States. In 2006, the Social Security Administration ranked Ryan the 14th most popular male name and the 455th most popular female name.

FASCINATING FACTS
The Ryan Clan has its own crest. It can be seen at The Ryan Clan Association, U.S. Sept Home Page (http://www.ryans.org/#Interna tional).

The Ryan motto translates to "I would rather die than be disgraced."

There is also a ryan clan sweater pattern with a blackberry central panel bordered by cables, tree of life and zig-zag stitches on both sides.

There is a Hellogoodbye tune called "Ryan's Song."

NAMESAKES
Ryan, Iowa and Oklahoma
Ryan County, NY
Ryanair
Ryan's Grill Buffet Bakery
Ryan Homes
Ryan Aircraft
Ryan: The First Name in Turf Renovation
Saving Private Ryan was a major award winning WWII film
Ryan's Daughter was an award-winning film

FAMOUS PERSONS
Actors: Ryan O'Neal, Ryan Phillippe, Ryan Gosling, and Ryan Reynolds
Personality: Ryan Seacrest
Animator: Ryan Larkin, who was the subject of an award winning short documentary title "Ryan"
Welsh footballer: Ryan Griggs
Baseball player: Ryne Sandberg
English rugby player: Ryan Lamb
American footballer: Ryan Grant

NAME VARIANTS
Rian, Rien, Rion, Riun, Riyn
Rhian, Rhien, Rhion, Rhiun, Rhiyn
Ryann, Ryanne, Ryen, Ryin, Ryon and Ryun

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