# What is the difference between Brian and Bryan? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 14, 2012, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650 "2012-09-14T01:04:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CheeseDonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@CheeseDonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheeseDonkey)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/1 "2012-09-14T01:04:17Z")
Why are there two spellings of that name? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/2 "2012-09-14T01:07:23Z")
Many names have multiple spellings. ---
**Author:** ![CheeseDonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@CheeseDonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheeseDonkey)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/3 "2012-09-14T01:11:12Z")
I appreciate the non-answer. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/4 "2012-09-14T01:15:40Z")
One has an **i** and one has a **y**. Now, if you had asked about the difference between Stacy and Staci… ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/5 "2012-09-14T01:18:57Z")
> [@CheeseDonkey](#): > > I appreciate the non-answer. That’s an actual answer, CheeseDonQuay ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/6 "2012-09-14T01:32:57Z")
And I’m sure you could find a 3rd spelling without too much effort. ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/7 "2012-09-14T01:40:02Z")
Brian is a real sweetheart, but Bryan is a jerk. I can’t stand that guy. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/8 "2012-09-14T02:21:47Z")
Brian with an “i” or Bryan with a “y”–that is the question. So, [here](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Bad_quarto%2C_good_quarto%2C_first_folio.png) are some facsimiles of several versions of the famous soliloquy from _Hamlet_. Compare the “Good Quarto” and the “First Folio”. Ignore the whole “archaic form of the letter ‘s’ that looks more like an ‘f’ thing”–that’s not really a spelling issue. Even putting aside the “long s”, sleep is spelled “sleepe”. “Heart-ache” is either “hart-ake” or “Heart-ake”. “Heir” is spelled “heire” in one version; “heyre” in the other. Spelling used to be wildly variable. It was pretty late in the day that this stuff got really standardized. And with people’s names, the “correct” spelling of the name is whatever they say it is–your name is, after all, pretty much _the_ fundamental expression of your personal identity. If your Mama put down “Brian” on the birth certificate, then that’s your name; if she put “Bryan”, then _that_ is your name; and if she put “Brionn” or “Bhreahn” then you have a lifetime of saying “Bhreahn–No, it’s Bee-aitch-arr-ee…Yes, Bee; aitch-as-in-Henry; arr…” to look forward to. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/9 "2012-09-14T02:29:18Z")
Uh… Brian is a _boy’s_ name, while Bryan is a… uh, wait a minute . . . _boy’s_ name? (So far. Just wait a bit until Bryan catches up with Sydney and Lindsey.) ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/10 "2012-09-14T02:29:31Z")
Speaking of Shakespeare… guess which spelling the man _never once_ used in _any_ of the signatures we can attribute to him. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/11 "2012-09-14T02:34:01Z")
> [@CheeseDonkey](#): > > I appreciate the non-answer. I’m not sure what kind of answer you’re expecting here. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/12 "2012-09-14T02:47:36Z")
What’s the difference between Catherine and Katherine? What’s the difference between Geoffrey and Jeffrey? What’s the difference between Sean, Shaun and Shawn? etc etc etc ---
**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/13 "2012-09-14T12:38:43Z")
Brian is an anagram of brain. Bryan is an anagram of Barny. Which epithet would you prefer to be called while growing up among peers who deconstruct names to create playful insults? Spell your kid’s name accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/14 "2012-09-14T12:46:51Z")
> [@biqu](#): > > Brian is an anagram of brain. Bryan is an anagram of Barny. > > Which epithet would you prefer to be called while growing up among peers who deconstruct names to create playful insults? Spell your kid’s name accordingly. ^ Threadwinner by a mile. ---
**Author:** ![Abortion\_Fanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@Abortion\_Fanatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abortion_Fanatic)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/15 "2012-09-14T13:09:31Z")
This is all just from Wikipedia, mind you, but it may be what you’re looking for: On [Brian](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian): > [@](#): > > Brian is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word meaning “high” or “noble”. 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 in East Anglia during the Middle Ages. This is because the name was introduced to England by Bretons following the Norman Conquest… On [Bryan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_%28given_name%29): > [@](#): > > The given name Bryan is a variant of the given name Brian. This name is thought to be derived from an Old Celtic language word meaning “high”, or “noble”. > > The spelling of the given name Bryan was influenced by the surname Bryan. This surname has several different origins. One origin of the name is from an Anglo-Norman name, de Brionne, derived from either of two places called Brionne in the north of France—one is Brionne, in Eure; the other is Brionne in Creuse. Another origin of the surname is from the name which was brought to England and Ireland by the Breton followers of the Normans, who invaded in England in the 11th century. This name is thought to be derived from the same Old Celtic language element as the modern given name Bryan. When the Anglo-Normans invaded Ireland in the 12th century, this name was confused with the native Irish name Brian. The ‘i’ in “Brionne” is pronounced like a ‘y’, and as a result, as the names got confused, the y emerged. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/16 "2012-09-14T14:11:59Z")
> [@Abortion\_Fanatic](#): > > This is all just from Wikipedia, mind you, but it may be what you’re looking for That’s actually pretty informative; thanks. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/17 "2012-09-14T15:26:48Z")
I had a book of “The Lisle Letters”. Lord Lisle was one of the last Platagenets, so was heavily watched by Henry VIII who was a little antsy about possible rival claimants. His letters were collected when he was arrested, and apparently are still in the royal archives somewhere. They are a fascinating glimpse into everyday life of the 1500’s. As for spelling - as mentioned, spelling was a matter of random preference. There was no official Oxford Dictionary or spelling bees. The number of variations on “Lisle” is mind-numbing (Lyle, Lylle, Lille, listle, Loill, Layall…), as with every other proper name. Imagine 50 different English-accent ways to pronounce something (some counties the dialect was practically a foreign language) then imagine transliterating what the person said into letters. Also, consistency was not a virtue of the day in spelling then. So things could be spelled any way people felt like spelling them. The only saving grace in this was that so many were illiterate. Nowadays, the difference between Brian and Bryan comes down to either family tradition or pretentiousness. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/18 "2012-09-14T15:37:10Z")
> [@CheeseDonkey](#): > > I appreciate the non-answer. Is this honestly your first time encountering different spellings of the same name?!? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/19 "2012-09-14T16:02:53Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Is this honestly your first time encountering different spellings of the same name?!? I suspect the OP really wanted to know something like "Is one of them the ‘original’ and the other a later spelling variant, or did they evolve independently?’ or “Are the different spellings associated with different languages or nationalities?” or “What is the etymology, or the earliest known appearance, of the two spellings?” ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/20 "2012-09-14T17:45:10Z")
Creative spelling of names is at an all time high. Alicia too traditional for you?, how about Alesha. Or maybe Aleceea, Alecia, Alica, Alicea, Alisa, Alisha, Alissa, Alecia, Allyceea, Allycia, Allysia, Alysia, Elissa, Ellissa. Quinton, Quentin. Quantin, Quent, Quentan, Quenten, Quenton, Quentyn, Quint, Quintin, Quintus, Qwentin. Quentin’s Or my all time favorite, Qyntyon. Yes, I work with young people. And they are all special, and need their own special spelling to set them apart. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650.md?page=2)