Ryan is a common Irish surname

Surname

A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...

, as well as being a common given name

Given name

A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...

.

There are several possible origins for the surname. In certain cases it can be a simplified form of Mulryan. In some cases the surname may be derived from the Irish Gaelic Ó Riagháin (modern Irish

Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...

 Ó Riain), meaning "descendant of Rían"; or Ó Maoilriain "descendant of Maoilriaghain", or Ó Ruaidhín "descendant of the little red one". The old Gaelic personal name

Personal name

A personal name is the proper name identifying an individual person, and today usually comprises a given name bestowed at birth or at a young age plus a surname. It is nearly universal for a human to have a name; except in rare cases, for example feral children growing up in isolation, or infants...

 Rían is of uncertain origin. It may be derived from the Gaelic rí

Rí

Rí, or very commonly ríg , is an ancient Gaelic word meaning "King". It is used in historical texts referring to the Irish and Scottish kings and those of similar rank. While the modern Irish word is exactly the same, in modern Scottish it is Rìgh, apparently derived from the genitive. The word...

, meaning "king".

As Ryan is such a common name in Ireland, nicknames were given to distinguish between different families of Ryans. The nicknames were then used as a second name when referring to Ryan's from different families.

The surname Ryan has been confused with the surname Regan, which is derived from Ó Ríagáin, meaning "descendant of Riagán".

List of persons with the surname Ryan

• Abram Joseph Ryan
  Abram Joseph Ryan
  Abram Joseph Ryan , OSFS, was an American poet, an active proponent of the Confederate States of America, and a Roman Catholic priest...
  
  , Catholic Priest, poet.
• Andrew Ryan (rugby player), Australian rugby league player
• B.J. Ryan
  B.J. Ryan
  Robert Victor "B.J." Ryan, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Though he never officially retired, Ryan has not played since .-Career:Ryan started his career as a left-handed specialist...
  
  , baseball player
• Barry Ryan
  Barry Ryan (singer)
  Barry Ryan was an English pop singer. He is currently a photographer.The son of pop singer Marion Ryan, Ryan and his twin brother Paul began to perform at the age of 16...
  
   (born 1948), English pop singer
• Barry Ryan
  Barry Ryan (Catholic priest)
  Barry Edmund Ryan is a former American Roman Catholic priest who pleaded guilty to repeatedly molesting a six-year-old boy, for which he was sentenced to two years in prison....
  
   (born 1949), U.S. Catholic priest
• Bernard Ryan
  Bernard Ryan
  Bernard Ryan was one of six men hanged in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin on the 14 March 1921. He was a member of the Irish Republican Army and part of the Dublin Brigade's Active Service Unit...
  
  
• Bernard Ryan, Jr., American author
• Bianca Ryan
  Bianca Ryan
  Bianca Taylor Ryan is an American singer and guitarist, who won the debut season of NBC's America's Got Talent at age 11....
  
  , American singer and America's Got Talent
  America's Got Talent
  America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
  
   winner
• Blanchard Ryan
• Bo Ryan
  Bo Ryan
  William "Bo" Francis Ryan, Jr. is an American college basketball coach and current head coach of the University of Wisconsin–Madison men's basketball team.-Playing career:...
  
  
• Bob Ryan
  Bob Ryan
  Bob Ryan is an American sportswriter for The Boston Globe. He has been described as "the quintessential American sportswriter" and a basketball guru and is well known for his coverage of the sport including his famous stories covering the Boston Celtics in the 1970s. After graduating from Boston...
  
  
• Buddy Ryan
  Buddy Ryan
  James David "Buddy" Ryan is a former American NFL football coach.-Early years:Ryan was born and reared in a small, agricultural-based community "just outside of Frederick, Oklahoma." Ryan played college football for Oklahoma A&M University where he earned four letters as a guard between 1952 and...
  
  
• Chris Ryan (rugby league)
  Chris Ryan (rugby league)
  Chris Ryan born in Australia is a former rugby league player.Chris Ryan's position of choice was as a or on the .He played for Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and Western Reds/Perth Reds in Australia. In the European Super League he played for London Broncos.-External links:**...
  
  , Australian rugby league footballer
• Chris Ryan
  Chris Ryan
  Sergeant ‘Chris Ryan’ MM is the pseudonym of a former British Special Forces operative and soldier turned novelist...
  
  
• Christopher Ryan
  Christopher Ryan
  Christopher Ryan is an English actor. Ryan is perhaps best known for his role as Mike "The Cool Person" in the BBC comedy series The Young Ones.-Early life:...
  
  , British actor
• Claude Ryan
  Claude Ryan
  Claude Ryan, was a Canadian politician and leader of the Parti libéral du Québec from 1978 to 1982. He was also the National Assembly of Quebec member for Argenteuil from 1979 to 1994.-Early life and career:...
  
  
• Cornelius Ryan
  Cornelius Ryan
  Cornelius Ryan, was an Irish journalist and author mainly known for his writings on popular military history, especially his World War II books: The Longest Day: June 6, 1944 D-Day , The Last Battle , and A Bridge Too Far .-Early life:Ryan was born in Dublin and educated at Synge Street CBS,...
  
  
• Debby Ryan
  Debby Ryan
  Deborah "Debby" Ryan is an American actress and singer. Ryan is best known for starring as Bailey Pickett in the Disney Channel Original Series The Suite Life on Deck. The Suite Life on Deck became the most watched children's show on television...
  
  , American actress
• Edward Ryan
  Edward Ryan
  Sir Edward Ryan PC FRS was an English lawyer, judge, reformer of the British Civil Service and patron of science.-Early life:...
  
  , English lawyer and judge
• Francis T. Ryan
  Francis T. Ryan
  Francis Thomas Ryan was an American sailor serving in the United States Navy during the Boxer Rebellion who received the Medal of Honor for bravery...
  
  , American Medal of Honor recipient
• Frank Ryan (disambiguation), multiple people
• Fred Ryan
  Fred Ryan
  Frederick J. Ryan, Jr. was the post-Chief of Staff for former United States President Ronald Reagan , and currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation...
  
   (b. 1955), CEO of Politico.com, former aide to Ronald Reagan
• Frederick Ryan
  Frederick Ryan
  Frederick Ryan , was an Irish, Dublin-born playwright, journalist and socialist.-Career:Ryan became secretary of the Irish National Theatre Society in 1902. There he would create realistic satire with the play The Laying of the Foundations...
  
   (1876 – 1913), Irish playwright and socialist
• George H. Ryan, Former Illinois governor
• Gerry Ryan
  Gerry Ryan
  Gerard "Gerry" Ryan was an Irish presenter of radio and television employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann...
  
  , Irish radio presenter
• Greg Ryan
  Greg Ryan
  Greg Ryan is a retired German-American soccer defender who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. He was the head coach of the United States women's national soccer team from 2005 to 2007...
  
  
• Gig Ryan
  Gig Ryan
  Gig Ryan, born Elizabeth Anna Martina Ryan, 5 November 1956, is an Australian poet, and daughter of notable Australian surgeon Peter John Ryan...
  
  , Australian Poet
• Harold M. Ryan
  Harold M. Ryan
  Harold Martin Ryan was a politician and judge from the U.S. state of Michigan.Ryan was born in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from St. Joseph’s High School in 1929...
  
   (b. 1911), U.S. Representative from Michigan
• Irene Ryan
  Irene Ryan
  Irene Ryan was an American actress, one of the few entertainers who found success in vaudeville, radio, film, television and Broadway....
  
   (1902–1973), actress
• Jack Ryan
  Jack Ryan
  Jack Ryan may refer to:*Jack Ryan , a fictional character in a series of novels by Tom Clancy*Jack Ryan , former candidate for United States Senator from Illinois and ex-husband of actress Jeri Ryan...
  
  , multiple people
• Jeri Ryan
  Jeri Ryan
  Jeri Lynn Zimmermann Ryan is an American actress best known for her roles as the liberated Borg, Seven of Nine, on Star Trek: Voyager; Tara Cole on Leverage; and Veronica "Ronnie" Cooke on Boston Public. She was also a regular on the science fiction show Dark Skies and the legal drama series...
  
  , U.S. actress
• Jim Ryan (disambiguation), multiple people
• Jimmy Ryan
  Jimmy Ryan (baseball player)
  James Edward Ryan , nicknamed ″Pony″, was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago White Stockings/Colts/Orphans in the National League, Chicago Pirates in the Players League, and Washington Senators in the American League.A native of Clinton, Massachusetts,...
  
  , 19th century baseball player
• Joan Ryan
  Joan Ryan
  Joan Marie Ryan is a politician in the United Kingdom. She was member of Parliament for Enfield North between 1997 and 2010, and is a member of the Labour Party. She had previously been deputy leader of Barnet Council....
  
  
• John Ryan (disambiguation), multiple people
• Joseph Ryan (disambiguation), multiple people
• Kevin Ryan
  Kevin Ryan (athlete)
  Kevin Barry Ryan is a retired male long-distance runner from New Zealand, who represented his native country in the men's marathon at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada...
  
  , New Zealand long-distance runner
• Karen Ryan
  Karen Ryan
  Karen Ryan is a public relations specialist, and former television news reporter, who became famous for producing controversial video news release created to promote the Medicare and education systems for the United States government...
  
  
• Lacy Ryan
  Lacy Ryan
  Lacy Ryan , English actor, appeared at the Haymarket Theatre about 1709.By 1718 he had joined the company at Lincoln's Inn Fields, where he shared the lead with his friend Quin. In 1732 he followed the company to Covent Garden, and there, he remained until his death. Iago, Cassius, Edgar and...
  
   (c.1694–1760), English actor
• Leo Ryan
  Leo Ryan
  Leo Joseph Ryan, Jr. was an American politician of the Democratic Party. He served as a U.S. Representative from California's 11th congressional district from 1973 until he was murdered in Guyana by members of the Peoples Temple shortly before the Jonestown Massacre in 1978.After the Watts Riots...
  
  , Former Congressman from San Francisco, killed at Jonestown
  Jonestown
  Jonestown was the informal name for the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, an intentional community in northwestern Guyana formed by the Peoples Temple led by Jim Jones. It became internationally notorious when, on November 18, 1978, 918 people died in the settlement as well as in a nearby...
  
  
• Lee Ryan
  Lee Ryan
  Lee Ryan is an English singer-songwriter, actor and member of the British boy band Blue.-Early life:...
  
   English singer and former member of the boyband blue
  Blue
  Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
  
  
• Liza Ryan
  Liza Ryan
  Liza Ryan is a contemporary visual artist whose works consist of photography, video, and mixed media.-Background:Liza Ryan was born in Norfolk, Virginia. Ryan earned a BFA at Dartmouth College, in 1987 and an MFA from California State University, Fullerton in 1994...
  
   (born 1965), an American photographer
• Lucille Frances Ryan
  Lucy Lawless
  Lucy Lawless, MNZM is a New Zealander actress and singer best known for playing the title character of the internationally successful television series Xena: Warrior Princess....
  
  , a.k.a. Lucy Lawless
  Lucy Lawless
  Lucy Lawless, MNZM is a New Zealander actress and singer best known for playing the title character of the internationally successful television series Xena: Warrior Princess....
  
  
• Mark F. Ryan, Dr., Irish author and nationalist
• Matthew Ryan (disambiguation), multiple people
• Meg Ryan
  Meg Ryan
  Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra , professionally known as Meg Ryan, is an American actress and producer. Raised in Bethel, Connecticut, Ryan began her acting career in 1981 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns in 1982...
  
   (born 1961), U.S. actress
• Michael Ryan (disambiguation), multiple people
• Michelle Ryan
  Michelle Ryan
  Michelle Claire Ryan is an English actress.She is best known for portraying the role of Zoe Slater on BBC soap opera EastEnders. In 2007, she starred in the short lived American television series Bionic Woman...
  
   (born 1984), British actress of Irish ancestry
• Miles Ryan
  Miles Ryan
  Miles Ryan VC was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
  
  
• Neal Ryan (born 1981), musician and guitar builder
• Nolan Ryan
  Nolan Ryan
  Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....
  
   (born 1947), baseball player
• Patrick John Ryan
  Patrick John Ryan
  Patrick John Ryan was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1884 until his death in 1911.-Early life and education:...
  
  , archbishop
• Patrick Ryan
  Patrick Ryan (author and journalist)
  Patrick Ryan was an author and journalist whose best-known work, the satirical war novel How I Won The War was made into a film in 1967, directed by Richard Lester and starring John Lennon.-Biography:...
  
  , author and journalist
• Paul Ryan
  Paul Ryan (singer)
  Paul Ryan was an English singer, songwriter and record producer.Born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, Paul and his twin brother Barry were the sons of singer Marion Ryan, and had some success as a singing duo during the 1960s, known simply as "Paul & Barry Ryan"...
  
   (1948–1992), British singer and songwriter
• Paul Ryan
  Paul Ryan (politician)
  Paul Davis Ryan is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is a member of the Republican Party and has been ranked among the party's most influential voices on economic policy....
  
   (born 1970), U.S. Representative from Wisconsin, Chairman of Budget Committee
• Peggy Ryan
  Peggy Ryan
  Margaret O'Rene "Peggy" Ryan was an American dancer, best known for starring in a series of movie musicals at Universal Pictures with Donald O'Connor and Gloria Jean....
  
  
• Perry T. Ryan
  Perry T. Ryan
  Perry T. Ryan is a Kentucky lawyer who writes books on American history. Ryan has authored a total of eight books, including The Last Public Execution in America , the story of Rainey Bethea, who was legally hanged in Owensboro, Kentucky in 1936...
  
  , American author
• Peter Ryan (disambiguation), multiple people
• Phil Ryan (disambiguation), multiple people
• Prestin Ryan
  Prestin Ryan
  Prestin Ryan is a Canadian ice hockey defenceman who plays for ERC Ingolstadt of the German DEL.-Amateur:...
  
  , Canadian ice hockey player
• Rachel Ryan
  Rachel Ryan
  Rachel Ryan is an Shaker Heights, Ohio, American porn actress. who appeared in over 100 adult videos between 1985 and 1989. She has had many pseudonyms"I.-External links:*...
  
   famous nurse
• Rex Ryan
  Rex Ryan
  Rex Ryan is an American football head coach for the New York Jets of the National Football League . After serving as an assistant coach for twenty-two years, Ryan attained his first head coaching job in the NFL with the Jets in 2009...
  
  
• Richie Ryan
  Richie Ryan (politician)
  Richie Ryan is a former Irish Fine Gael politician.Richie Ryan was born in Dublin in 1929. He was educated at Synge Street CBS, University College Dublin, where he studied economics and jurisprudence, and the Incorporated Law School of Ireland subsequently qualifying as a solicitor...
  
  , Irish politician
• Rob Ryan
  Rob Ryan
  Rob Ryan is the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He is the son of former defensive coordinator and head coach Buddy Ryan and the twin brother of current head coach of the New York Jets, Rex Ryan.-Early life:When his parents, Doris and Buddy Ryan,...
  
  
• Robert Ryan
  Robert Ryan
  Robert Bushnell Ryan was an American actor who often played hardened cops and ruthless villains.-Early life and career:...
  
   (1909–1973), actor
• Ronald Ryan
  Ronald Ryan
  Ronald Joseph Ryan was the last person to be legally executed in Australia. Ryan was found guilty of shooting and killing prison officer George Hodson during a prison escape from Pentridge Prison, Victoria in 1965...
  
   (Last person to be legally executed in Australia.)
• Roz Ryan
  Roz Ryan
  Roz Ryan is an American actress. She has earned wide acclaim as an actress, singer and comedian.-Life and career:Ryan was born Rosalyn Bowen in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of Gertrude and Thomas Bowen, who worked for the Board of Education. She is a 1969 graduate of Mackenzie High School...
  
  , actress
• Tomas Ryan
  Tomás Ryan
  Tomás Ryan is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Iniscarra and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1968 until 1970....
  
  
• Thomas Ryan
  Thomas Ryan (Victorian politician)
  Thomas Ryan was a railway worker, estate agent, trade unionist and politician, who served as the Labor member for East Torrens and Sturt in the South Australian House of Assembly and as the Nationalist Party Member for Essendon in the Victorian Legislative Assembly in Australia.Ryan was born...
  
   (1870–1943), Australian politician
• T. Claude Ryan
  T. Claude Ryan
  Tubal Claude Ryan was an Irish-American aviator born in Parsons, Kansas. Ryan was best known for founding some airlines and four airplane factories.-Business career:...
  
   (1898–1982), an American aviator and aeronautic engineer
• T. J. Ryan
  T. J. Ryan
  Thomas Joseph "T.J." Ryan was Premier of Queensland, Australia from May 1915 until October 1919 when he resigned to enter Federal politics.-Early life:Thomas Joseph Ryan was born at Port Fairy, Victoria...
  
   (1876–1921), Australian politician —Premier of Queensland — also, later, Federal Member for West Sydney
• Thomas Jay Ryan
  Thomas Jay Ryan
  Thomas Jay Ryan is a veteran stage actor who also starred in the 1997 film Henry Fool.Ryan attended Carnegie Mellon University and has worked in such prestigious theaters as the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven...
  
  , actor
• Tim Ryan (disambiguation)
  Tim Ryan (disambiguation)
  Tim Ryan or Timothy Ryan may refer to:*Tim Ryan , American politician*Timothy Ryan , chief executive officer and publisher of The Baltimore Sun...
  
  , multiple people
• Tommy Ryan
  Tommy Ryan
  Tommy Ryan was a famed welterweight and middleweight champion boxer who fought from 1887-1907. Ryan was considered an excellent boxer-puncher, and many consider him one of the all time greatest middleweight champions. His won lost record is 86 wins , 3 losses and 6 draws...
  
  
• Tony Ryan
  Tony Ryan
  Thomas Anthony "Tony" Ryan was an Irish multi-millionaire, philanthropist and businessman.He was a founder of Guinness Peat Aviation as well as co-founder of Ryanair with Christy Ryan and Liam Lonergan...
  
  
• Warren Ryan
  Warren Ryan
  Warren Ryan is former rugby league football coach and player from Sydney, Australia. He is considered as one of the most influential coaches in recent times. Ryan also played 1st Grade Rugby League for the St George Dragons and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks....
  
  
• William Patrick Ryan
  William Patrick Ryan
  William Patrick Ryan , was an Irish author and journalist.-Biography:Ryan was born near Templemore, County Tipperary. The early part of his career was spent in London, where he worked as a journalist. Upon returning to Ireland he began his own newspapers, titled Peasant and Irish Nation...
  
   (1867–1942), Irish author and journalist

Fictional characters

• April Ryan
  April Ryan
  April Ryan is a fictional character from the adventure game The Longest Journey and its sequel Dreamfall: The Longest Journey . In the former, she is the protagonist, and in the latter, one of the three primary characters. In both games she is voiced by Sarah Hamilton.-Background:April Ryan is a...
  
  , appearing in the computer adventure games The Longest Journey
  The Longest Journey
  The Longest Journey is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Norwegian studio Funcom for the PC. First published by IQ Media Nordic in Norway in 1999, it was later localized for and released in France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, Spain, Denmark,...
  
   and Dreamfall
  Dreamfall
  Dreamfall: The Longest Journey is an adventure video game with elements of action-adventure. It was released for the Windows and Xbox platforms on 17 April 2006 by Norwegian developer Funcom...
  
  ;
• Andrew Ryan, the founder of Rapture and a major character in the 2007
  2007 in video gaming
  -Events:*March 14: Microsoft announces Games for Windows - Live, a version of Xbox Live for the Windows platform. The service launched on May 8.*March 27: Microsoft announces the new "Xbox 360 Elite" stock-keeping unit . The revision comes with a bigger hard drive and the ability to output HDMI...
  
   video game Bioshock
  Bioshock
  BioShock is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Boston and designed by Ken Levine. It was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 on August 21, 2007 in North America, and three days later in Europe and Australia. It became available on Steam on August 21, 2007...
  
  ;
• Archie Ryan, the pseudonym of Lincoln Burrows
  Lincoln Burrows
  Lincoln Burrows, played by Dominic Purcell, is one of the main protagonists of the American television series, Prison Break. The plot of Prison Break revolves around Lincoln Burrows' setup for the murder of the vice president's brother and his brother's plan to help him escape his death sentence....
  
  , a fictional character from the television show Prison Break
  Prison Break
  Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...
  
  ;
• Barbara Ryan
  Barbara Ryan
  For the Alaska Airlines Flight 261 passenger, see that articleBarbara Ann Coleman is a fictional character on the American soap opera As the World Turns...
  
  , character in the soap opera As the World Turns
  As the World Turns
  As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
  
  ;
• Caitlin Ryan
  Caitlin Ryan
  Caitlin Ryan is a fictional character from the Degrassi series portrayed by Stacie Mistysyn. Caitlin is a main character on both Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, which chronicle her maturation from a seventh grader to a high school graduate...
  
  , a character in the Degrassi franchise;
• Jack Ryan, character in several Tom Clancy
  Tom Clancy
  Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
  
   novels;
• Jack Ryan, a separate character and the primary protagonist of the 2007
  2007 in video gaming
  -Events:*March 14: Microsoft announces Games for Windows - Live, a version of Xbox Live for the Windows platform. The service launched on May 8.*March 27: Microsoft announces the new "Xbox 360 Elite" stock-keeping unit . The revision comes with a bigger hard drive and the ability to output HDMI...
  
   video game Bioshock
  Bioshock
  BioShock is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Boston and designed by Ken Levine. It was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 on August 21, 2007 in North America, and three days later in Europe and Australia. It became available on Steam on August 21, 2007...
  
  ;
• Jake Ryan, character in Sixteen Candles
  Sixteen Candles
  Sixteen Candles is a 1984 American film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling and Anthony Michael Hall. It was written and directed by John Hughes.- Plot :...
  
  /Hannah Montana
  Hannah Montana
  Hannah Montana is an American television series, which debuted on March 24, 2006 on the Disney Channel. The series focuses on a girl who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real...
  
  , TV character portrayed by Cody Linley
  Cody Linley
  Cody Martin Linley is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his recurring role as Jake Ryan in the television series Hannah Montana and for being a contestant on the seventh season of Dancing With The Stars, in which he was partnered with Julianne Hough.-Career:Linley made his acting...
  
  ;
• Nory Ryan, main character in book Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff
  Patricia Reilly Giff
  Patricia Reilly Giff was born on April 26, 1935 in Brooklyn, New York. She is an author and teacher. She was educated at Marymount College, where she was awarded a B.A. degree, and St. John's University, where she earned an M.A. and Hofstra University, where she was awarded a Professional Diploma...
  
  ;
• Richie Ryan
  Richie Ryan (Highlander)
  Richie Ryan is a fictional character from Highlander: The Series, portrayed by actor Stan Kirsch. He is an Immortal. Richie is first introduced in the pilot episode "The Gathering" as a young, quick-talking petty thief...
  
  , fictional character in Highlander: The Series
  Highlander: The Series
  Highlander: The Series is a fantasy-adventure television series featuring Duncan MacLeod of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the Highlander. It was an offshoot and another alternate sequel of the 1986 feature film with a twist: Connor MacLeod did not win the prize and Immortals still exist post-1985...
  
  ;
• James Francis Ryan, character in the 1998 American war film Saving Private Ryan
  Saving Private Ryan
  Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American war film set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. It was directed by Steven Spielberg, with a screenplay by Robert Rodat. The film is notable for the intensity of its opening 27 minutes, which depicts the Omaha Beach assault of June 6, 1944....
  
  .