Briana: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Briana is an Irish girl's name meaning “high, noble.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Meaning
- High, noble
- Gender
- Girl
- Also spelled
- Brianna
How do you pronounce Briana?
Briana is pronounced bree-A-na. It has three syllables, with the stress on the second. Other spellings: Brianna.
What does Briana mean?
Briana is a feminine form of Brian, the name of Brian Boru, the high king who was killed at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. The meaning of Brian is uncertain. It is often linked to an old Celtic word for “hill,” which gives the sense “high” or “noble,” though another suggestion connects it to a root meaning “might, power.”
The feminine form has a long literary history: Edmund Spenser used Briana in The Faerie Queene (1590). As a first name it stayed uncommon until the 1970s, when it took off in the United States, and Brianna is now the more usual spelling. It is a modern name rather than a traditional Irish one.
Sources: Behind the Name, Wikipedia.
How popular is Briana in Ireland?
Briana wasn't in the 2025 tables, which list names given to at least three babies. It was last recorded in 2024, when 3 baby girls got the name. It was most popular in 2006, when 11 baby girls were named Briana, No. 345 that year. It first appears in the records in 1994, with 3 baby girls.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 3 | No. 898 |
| 2015 | 5 | No. 660 |
| 2008 | 3 | No. 862 |
| 2007 | 5 | No. 624 |
| 2006 | 11 | No. 345 |
| 2005 | 5 | No. 523 |
| 2004 | 4 | No. 576 |
| 2003 | 3 | No. 655 |
| 2002 | 4 | No. 512 |
| 2001 | 4 | No. 498 |
| 1999 | 3 | No. 528 |
| 1997 | 7 | No. 363 |
| 1996 | 3 | No. 534 |
| 1995 | 3 | No. 516 |
| 1994 | 3 | No. 502 |
Briana in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Briana, letter by letter.
- BBeith, birch
- RRuis, elder
- IIodhadh, yew
- AAilm, pine
- NNion, ash
- AAilm, pine
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Briana
Questions about Briana
- How do you pronounce Briana?
- Briana is pronounced bree-A-na. Three syllables, stress on the second.
- What does Briana mean?
- Briana means “high, noble.”
- Is Briana a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Briana is a girl's name.