Brian

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Brian is an English and Irish given name,^[1] as well as a Irish, English, and French surname.^[2] It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word meaning "high" or "noble".^[1] For example the element bre means "hill"; which could be transferred to mean "eminence" or "exalted one".^[2] The name is quite popular in Ireland, on account of Brian Boru, a 10th century king of Ireland. The name was also quite popular, during the Middle Ages, in East Anglia. This is because the name was brought to England by Bretons following the Norman Conquest.^[1] Bretons also settled in Ireland along with the Normans in the 12th century, and 'their' name was mingled with the 'Irish' version.^[2] Also, in the north-west of England, the name was brought by Scandinavian settlers from Ireland. Within the Gaelic speaking areas of Scotland, the name was at first only used by professional families of Irish origin.^[1]

The surname Brian is sometimes an English and Irish variant spelling of the surname Bryan. The English and French surname Brian is sometimes derived from the personal Celtic personal name shown above. The surname Brian can also sometimes be a French surname; derived from the Old Occitan word brian, meaning "maggot" and used as a nickname.^[2]

Variants of the name include Briant, Brien, Bran, Brion, Bryan, Bryant, Brjánn (in Icelandic) and Bryon.^[3]

People

• Brian (mythology), Celtic mythological figure

Surname

• Havergal Brian, (1876–1972), a British classical composer.
• Mary Brian, (1906–2002), an American actress and movie star.

Given name

• Brian Warner (musician), Better known by his stage name, Marilyn Manson
• Brian Alderson (1950-1997), Scottish footballer
• Brian Bell (musician) (born 1968), member of American rock group Weezer
• Brian Blessed (born 1937), English actor
• Brian Boru (941-1014), Irish king who overthrew the centuries-long domination of the Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill
• Brian Cowen (born 1960), current Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of the Republic of Ireland
• Brian De Palma (born 1940), American film director
• Brian Eno (born 1948), English electronic musician, music theorist and record producer
• Brian Epstein (1934–1967), English businessperson, manager of The Beatles
• Brian Johnson (born 1947), member and lead vocalist of the hard rock band AC/DC
• Brian Johnston (1912-1994), British cricket commentator
• Brian Jones (1942-1969), founding member, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist in the English rock group The Rolling Stones
• Brian Joo (born 1981), American-born Korean singer, former member of the R&B duo Fly to the Sky
• Brian Jossie (born 1977), American professional wrestler performing under the ring name of Abraham Washington
• Brian Lara (born 1969), former West Indian cricketer
• Brian Laudrup (born 1969), former Danish international soccer player
• Brian Littrell (born 1975), member of the boy band, The Backstreet Boys
• Brian May (born 1947), famous guitarist from the band, Queen
• Brian McKnight (born 1969), R&B singer
• Brian Molko (born 1972), lead vocalist of the band Placebo
• Brian O'Driscoll (born 1979), Irish rugby player
• Brian Paddick (born 1958), British politician
• Brian Peaker (born 1959), Canadian rower
• Brian Piccolo (1943–1970), American football player for the Chicago Bears and subject of the famous TV movie Brian's Song
• Brian Retterer (born 1972), American swimmer
• Brian Smith (disambiguation), several people
• Brian Urlacher (born 1978), American football player for the Chicago Bears
• Brian Westbrook (born 1979), American football player for the Philadelphia Eagles
• Brian Wilson (born 1942), member of American music group, The Beach Boys
• Brian Viloria (born 1980), American boxer

Other uses

Some films and television shows which contain the name Brian include:

• Brian's Song (1971, 2001)
• Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)
• Brian Kinney, popular character on Queer as Folk (US) played by Gale Harold
• What About Brian, television series that began in 2006
• Brian Griffin, character on Family Guy voiced by Seth MacFarlane
• Burying Brian, mini New Zealand TV series

Software

• Brian (software), software package for neural network simulations

References

See also

• Articles beginning with "Brian"

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