The Bryan surname is English and Irish. The original Old Norman term was ‘brjan’ and ‘breton’. The part ‘bre’ means a hill. Spelling variations include Brian, Brine, Briand, Bryane, O’Brien, Breine and Briant. Many Bryan families began in northern Wales around the county of Denbighshire. In England the Bryans are in London and in the central regions. The county of Lanarkshire in Scotland has the greater Bryan population. In the United States Bryan families are primarily in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Illinois, Texas, California, Georgia and the Carolinas. Famous: Arthur Bryan (comedian), David Bryan (musician), William Jennings Bryan (19th century politician and speaker), Goode Bryan (Confederate General during the Civil War), John Neely Bryan (19th century founder of the city of Dallas, Texas), John Davies Bryan (a merchant form Wales who founded the stores Davies Bryan & Co.), Vincent Bryan (Canadian songwriter) and Zachery Ty Bryan (actor).