# 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:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/41 "2012-09-17T12:37:51Z")
> [@hibernicus](#): > > Agreed. > > I’ll definitely defer to your expertise in this area, but you have confused me a little by saying that an intervocalic “g” wouldn’t get dropped in Irish. As far as I can see, intervocalic “g” almost _always_ gets dropped in Irish, as in your own example “Bríd”. Did you mean that it would not have lost the “g” 1000 years ago in time for Brian Boru? Yes, exactly. And yes, that was a little confusing—sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/42 "2012-09-17T15:06:25Z")
I’m Brian, and so is my wife. Not really. Here’s another spelling, for an actor who was in _Blade Runner_: [Brion James - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brion_James) ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/43 "2012-09-17T17:48:33Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I’m Brian, and so is my wife. > > Not really. > > Here’s another spelling, for an actor who was in _Blade Runner_: [Brion James - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brion_James) Anecdote: He loved my grilled salmon when I was a chef in Studio City. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/44 "2012-09-18T00:08:27Z")
If you ever gave him food poisoning, you could mimic his voice and say, “Time to die!” ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/45 "2012-09-18T03:34:22Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > If you ever gave him food poisoning, you could mimic his voice and say, “Time to die!” And then his girlfriend would shoot me in the head? Noooo thank you. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650/46 "2012-09-18T03:50:00Z")
> [@CheeseDonkey](#): > > The same sort of well-informed, non-snarky answers I got here: > > [What is the difference between Steven and Stephen? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=659740) What I don’t get is why, after someone actually gave a real answer, people not only didn’t hang their head in shame for being too ignorant to answer the question, but even still snarked about it, essentially bragging about their ignorance. This is GQ. If you don’t know the answer to the question, or even have a plausible explanation, don’t post. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-brian-and-bryan/634650.md?page=2)