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It's very dated in the UK, most Brians there are at least 50. My Grandad is named Brian and he's in his late seventies. He doesn't like it and so goes by an un-related nickname.

I have known two Brian's and both were incredibly nice guys, so it gets a thumbs up on associations! It is a little hard to picture it on a newborn but from a toddler up I can imagine Brian being very cute, then transitioning well to adult. Hard to say about Bryan. The part of me that likes Ryan is ok with it but I feel like Brian is the "purer" form of the name in a weird way.

I don't dislike it at all. It's just that it was really popular during my teen years and during my child-bearing years, and I hate when a name is oh-so-typical, so I never would have used it. It's a handsome name though.

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Speaking of the Bryan spelling, my brother has a stepson who is named Bryan. Once when he was about five years old, my father greeted him by saying, "Well hi there, Bryan with a Y." Bryan said, "No, with a B."

I like Brian quite a lot. It seems strong but not pumped-up, classic rather than dated and generally acceptable.

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Can't say Bryan looks convincing to me, though. That y is downright intrusive. And I totally loathe Brianna!

I wouldn't say I hate Brian. It's bland and dated but benign. Bryan, on the other hand, irrationally irritates me.

I like the name Brian. I have liked a great many guys named Brian, and disliked very few. It's a good name and a pleasant sound.

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However ... it seems like a better name for a guy over 30, by far, than it is for a baby. And Bryan doesn't really appeal to me because it reminds me too much of Bryan Adams (and to a lesser extent, William Jennings Bryan). Surnamey, 80s style, stylized to resemble Ryan.

I don't hate it at all; in fact, I love Brian.

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I knew a Brian growing up - he was my best friend's little brother, and he's a pretty great guy. I saw him somewhat recently at my his sister's wedding, and he's got an adorable little kid now who's a few years younger than my own kids. (His wife was the other bridesmaid, and she's pretty cool too.)

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Also while I was growing up, my dad showed me one of his favourite movies: 'Darby O'Gill and the Little People', where one of the major characters is King Brian of the Leprechauns. And he's amazing. Easily my favourite character in the movie. :D (And of course there's also Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, whose name I've loved so much since the first time I heard it.)

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I'm not really sold on the Bryan spelling, but overall I just really like Brian. I wasn't really aware that it was generally disliked. :/

This message was edited 7/22/2015, 1:24 AM

Brian sounds handsome and strong. It makes me think of a warrior Scotsman on horseback or an Irish king like Brian Boru. In the Scottish myth "The Tragedy of the Sons of Tuireann," Brian was the clever brother.