| Ryan | Sean | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Little king | God is gracious |
| Origin | Irish | irish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | RY-un | SHAWN |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1906 | 1925 |
| Peak year | 1985 (29,905) | 1990 (12,018) |
| In 2025 | 3,532 | 616 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ryan | Sean |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 25,959 | 4,766 |
| 2010s | 91,006 | 21,540 |
| 2000s | 173,244 | 64,133 |
| 1990s | 241,248 | 92,003 |
| 1980s | 278,938 | 103,870 |
| 1970s | 139,635 | 83,819 |
| 1960s | 11,322 | 47,282 |
| 1950s | 1,961 | 5,452 |
| 1940s | 500 | 659 |
| 1930s | 134 | 101 |
| 1920s | 111 | 12 |
| 1910s | 55 | 0 |
| 1900s | 10 | 0 |
Ryan is anglicised from the Irish surname Ó Riain, “descendant of Rían,” a name linked to rí, “king” — hence the popular gloss “little king.”
The Irish form of John (Seán), borrowed from Norman-French Jehan, ultimately from Hebrew 'Yochanan' meaning 'God is gracious.' Anglicised variants include Shawn and Shaun.
Ryan is more popular than Sean today: about 3,532 US babies were given the name Ryan in 2025, compared with 616 named Sean.
Ryan means Little king (Irish origin), while Sean means God is gracious (irish origin).
In US records, Ryan first appears in 1906 and Sean in 1925, so Ryan has the longer recorded history.