Brian Family History

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Brian Name Meaning

Irish and English: variant spelling of Bryan. French and English: from the Celtic personal name Brian, which contains the element bre- ‘hill’, with the transferred sense ‘eminence’. See also Bryan. French: nickname from Old Occitan brian ‘maggot’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Bryan, Briant, Brin, Brien, Organ, Brians, Brion, Burian, Briand

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Brian Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Brian name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Brian. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    52%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    20%

  • Germanic Europe

    8%

  • Norway

    3%

  • Sweden

    3%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Brian Family Origin

Where is the Brian family from?

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You can see how Brian families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Brian family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Brian families were found in the UK in 1891. In 1891 there were 259 Brian families living in London. This was about 21% of all the recorded Brian's in the UK. London had the highest population of Brian families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Brian surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Brian

Brian Family Occupations

What did your Brian ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, the most common Brian occupation in the UK was Labourer. 9% of Brian's were Labourers. A less common occupation for the Brian family was Farmer. Labourer, Coal Miner and Dock Labourer were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Brian.

View Census data for Brian | Data not to scale

  • Labourer

    9%

  • Coal Miner

    2%

  • Dock Labourer

    2%

  • Farmer

    2%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Brian ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Brian Historical Records

What Brian family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 58,000 census records available for the last name Brian. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Brian census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Brian

Passenger List

There are 7,000 immigration records available for the last name Brian. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Card

There are 8,000 military records available for the last name Brian. For the veterans among your Brian ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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Brian Life Expectancy

What is the average Brian lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Brian life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Brian in 1944 was 27, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Brian

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Brian ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Brian Family Ancestors

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