Ryan

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Origin: Irish

Meaning: it could be derived from Irish surname Ó Riain meaning "descendant of Rían", Rían meaning "little king" from Irish rí (king) with the diminutive suffix -an. 

It could also come from Mulryan, the Anglicized form of Irish surname Ó Maoilriain meaning "descendant of Maoilriain", the latter being a personal name derived from Maol meaning "hero" or "chief, price" or "devotee"; the second element rian could come from a much older Gaulish word, rēnos (from which the river Rhine derives its name from) , possibly meaning "water" or "sea" or meaning "to move, flow, run".


Variants:

• Rian
• Rían

Feminine forms:

• Ryanne 
• Ryann
• Ryana 
• Ryanna 
• Riana 
• Rianna