For the given name Ryan, see Ryan (given name)
Ryan is a common Irish surname, as well as being a common given name.
There are several possible origins for the surname. In certain cases it can be a simplified from of Mulryan. In some cases the surname may be derived from the Irish Gaelic Ó Riagháin (modern Irish Ó Riain), meaning "descendant of Rian"; or Ó Maoilriain "descendant of Maoilriaghain", or Ó Ruaidhín "descendant of the little red one".[1] The old Gaelic personal name Rian is of uncertain origin. It may be derived from the Gaelic rí, meaning "king".[2]
The surname Ryan has been confused with the surname Regan, which is derived from Ó Ríagáin, meaning "descendant of Riagán".[1]
People
- Abram Joseph Ryan, Catholic Priest, poet.
- Andrew Ryan, Australian rugby league player
- B.J. Ryan, baseball player
- Barry Ryan (born 1948), English pop singer
- Barry Ryan (born 1949), U.S. Catholic priest
- Bianca Ryan, American singer and America's Got Talent winner
- Blanchard Ryan
- Bo Ryan
- Bob Ryan
- Buddy Ryan
- Chris Ryan (rugby league), Australian rugby league footballer
- Chris Ryan
- Christopher Ryan, British actor
- Claude Ryan
- Cornelius Ryan
- Debby Ryan, American actress
- Eric Ryan
- Frank Ryan
- Frederick Ryan, Irish playwright and socialist
- George H. Ryan, Former Illinois governor
- Gerry Ryan, Irish radio presenter
- Greg Ryan
- Gig Ryan, Australian Poet
- Harold M. Ryan (b. 1911), U.S. Representative from Michigan
- Irene Ryan (1902–1973), actress
- Jack Ryan, designer
- Jack Ryan, Senate candidate
- Jeri Ryan, U.S. actress
- Jim Ryan
- Jimmy Ryan, 19th century baseball player
- Joan Ryan
- Joe Ryan
- John Ryan disambiguation
- Kevin Ryan, New Zealand long-distance runner
- Karen Ryan
- Lacy Ryan (c.1694–1760), English actor
- Leo Ryan, Former Congressman from San Francisco, killed at Jonestown
- Lee Ryan English singer and former member of the boyband blue
- Liza Ryan (born 1965), an American photographer
- Lucille Frances Ryan, a.k.a. Lucy Lawless
- Mark F. Ryan, Dr., Irish author and nationalist
- Matthew Ryan
- Meg Ryan (born 1961), U.S. actress
- Michael Ryan
- Michelle Ryan (born 1984), British actress of Irish ancestry
- Miles Ryan
- Nolan Ryan (born 1947), baseball player
- Patrick John Ryan, archbishop
- Patrick Ryan, author and journalist
- Paul Ryan (1948–1992), British singer and songwriter
- Paul Ryan (born 1970), U.S. politician
- Peggy Ryan
- Perry T. Ryan, American author
- Peter Ryan disambiguation
- Phil Ryan, American law enforcement
- Prestin Ryan, Canadian ice hockey player
- Rachel Ryan famous nurse
- Richie Ryan, Irish politician
- Robert Ryan (1909–1973), actor
- Ronald Ryan
- Roz Ryan , actress
- Tomas Ryan
- Thomas Ryan (1870–1943), Australian politician
- T. Claude Ryan (1898–1982), an American aviator and aeronautic engineer
- T. J. Ryan (1876&–1921), Australian politician —Premier of Queensland — also, later, Federal Member for West Sydney
- Thomas Jay Ryan, actor
- Tim Ryan
- Tommy Ryan
- Tony Ryan
- Warren Ryan
- William Patrick Ryan (1867–1942), Irish author and journalist
Fictional characters
- April Ryan, appearing in the computer adventure games The Longest Journey and Dreamfall;
- Andrew Ryan, the founder of Rapture and a major character in the 2007 video game Bioshock;
- Archie Ryan, the pseudonym of Lincoln Burrows, a fictional character from the television show Prison Break;
- Barbara Ryan, character in the soap opera As the World Turns;
- Jack Ryan, character in several Tom Clancy novels;
- Jack Ryan, a separate character and the primary protagonist of the 2007 video game Bioshock;
- Jake Ryan, character in Sixteen Candles/Hannah Montana, TV character portrayed by Cody Linley;
- Nory Ryan, main character in book Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff;
- Richie Ryan, fictional character in Highlander: The Series;
- James Francis Ryan, character in the 1998 American war film Saving Private Ryan.
References
- ^ a b Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
- ^ A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0192800507
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