| Language(s) | Irish |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Derivation | Ó Briain |
| Meaning | descendant of Brian |
| Region of origin | Munster, Ireland |
O'Brien is a surname of Irish origin. It has many variants in the Irish diaspora worldwide, such as Brien, O'Bryan, O'Brian, Brian, O'Brine and O'Bryen which all claim a general common ancestry. The original Gaelic surname is Ó Briain (plural, Uí Briain). Notable people with the name include:
As surname
A
- Aidan O'Brien (b. 1969), Irish race horse trainer
- Aiden O'Brien, Irish football player
- Alan O'Brien, Irish association football player
- Alex O'Brien (b. 1970), professional American tennis player
- Ambrose O'Brien
- Andy O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Anne O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Arthur O'Brien
- Austin O'Brien
B
- Barry O'Brien
- Billy O'Brien (baseball) (1860–1911), American baseball player
- Billy O'Brien (footballer), Welsh association football player
- Brendan O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Brenna O'Brien
- Brock O'Brien
- Buck O'Brien
- Burton O'Brien
C
- Casey O'Brien (ice hockey) (b. 2001), American ice hockey player
- Cathy O'Brien (athlete) (b. 1967), American long-distance runner
- Cathy O'Brien (conspiracy theorist) (b. 1957), purported American child-slave/sex-abuse victim
- Charles O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Christian O'Brien (1914-2001), British geologist, author & historian
- Ciaran O'Brien
- Cinders O'Brien
- Clinton O'Brien (b. 1974), Australian rugby league footballer
- Conal O'Brien
- Conan O'Brien (b. 1963), US comedian and talk show host
- Connor O'Brien (disambiguation)
- Conor O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Cubby O'Brien
D
- Daniel O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Danielle O'Brien
- Danny O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Dara Ó Briain, Irish comedian and presenter
- Darcy O'Brien (1939–1998), American true crime author
- Daryl O'Brien (b. 1941), Australian footballer (Australian rules football)
- Dave O'Brien (actor) (1912–1969), American film actor
- Dave O'Brien (sportscaster), American sportscaster
- David O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Doug Brien (born 1970), former American football placekicker
- Don Brien (born 1959), Canadian sprint canoer, who competed in the mid to late 1980s
- Declan O'Brien, president of Utopia Pictures & Television, and a writer and producer
- Declan O'Brien (footballer)
- Dennis O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Derek O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Dermod O'Brien (1865–1906), Irish painter
- Donald O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Doug O'Brien
- Dylan O'Brien (b. 1991), American actor
E
- Ed O'Brien (b. 1968), English musician
- Edmond O'Brien (1915–1985), American actor
- Edna O'Brien (1930–2024), Irish novelist
- Edward O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Edwin Frederick O'Brien, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem
- Eileen O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Elaine O'Brien, American politician
- Erin O'Brien (writer), American writer
- Erin Joanne O'Brien (1934–2021), American actress
- Eugene O'Brien (disambiguation), various
F
- Fergal O'Brien, Irish professional snooker player
- Fergus O'Brien (1930–2016), Irish politician
- Fitz James O'Brien, Irish born American novelist
- Flann O'Brien, pen name of Irish novelist and satirist Brian O'Nolan
G
- Gareth O'Brien
- Geraldine O'Brien
- George O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Ger O'Brien
- Geoffrey O'Brien
- Glenn O'Brien
- Gray O'Brien
- Gavin O'Brien
H
- Harry O'Brien (changed his name in 2013 to "Heritier Lumumba")
- Harry J. O'Brien
- Helen O'Brien (1925–2005), British nightclub owner and spy
- Henry O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Hod O'Brien (1936–2016), American jazz pianist
- Hugh O'Brien (1827–1895) mayor of Boston
I
- Iain O'Brien
- Ian O'Brien
- Ignatius O'Brien, 1st Baron Shandon (1857–1930), Lord Chancellor of Ireland, 1913–1918
J
- Jack O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Jake O'Brien (fighter), MMA fighter
- Jake O'Brien (footballer), Irish footballer
- James O'Brien (disambiguation)
- Jamie O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Jeremiah O'Brien (1744–1818), US Navy officer of the American Revolutionary War
- Jesse O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Jim O'Brien (disambiguation)
- Joan O'Brien
- Joe O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Joey O'Brien
- John O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Joseph O'Brien (disambiguation), various
K
- Kate O'Brien (disambiguation)
- Katharine O'Brien
- Katherine O'Brien
- Kathleen O'Brien
- Katie O'Brien, British female tennis player
- Keith O'Brien (1938-2018), Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh
- Ken O'Brien
- Kerry O'Brien (disambiguation)
- Kevin O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Kieran O'Brien
- Kim O'Brien, American film and television actress
- Kirsten O'Brien (born 1972), British TV presenter
- Kitt O'Brien (born 1990), American football player
- Kitty Wilmer O'Brien, Irish painter
L
- Larry O'Brien (1917–1990), American politician
- Larry O'Brien (Canadian politician), Canadian entrepreneur and politician; Mayor of Ottawa, 2006–2010
- Laurence O'Brien
- Lawrence D. O'Brien
- Leighton O'Brien
- Lévis Brien (born 1955), Quebec politician
- Leo O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Leonora O'Brien, Irish pharmacist and entrepreneur
- Leslie O'Brien
- Liam O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Lucy O'Brien
- Luke O'Brien
M
- Margaret O'Brien
- Mariah O'Brien
- Mark O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Mary Eileen O'Brien, American academic administrator
- Matthew O'Brien (1814-1855), Irish mathematician
- Maureen O'Brien
- Michael O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Michele O'Brien
- Mick O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Mike O'Brien (hurler)
- Miles O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Mollie O'Brien
N
O
- Olivia O'Brien (born 1999), American singer and songwriter
P
- Paddy O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Parry O'Brien
- Patricia Salas O'Brien (born 1958), Peruvian sociologist and Minister of Education
- Patrick O'Brien (disambiguation), for people with forename Patrick or Pat
- Pat O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Paul O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Peter O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Phil O'Brien (disambiguation), several people
R
- Raymond O'Brien, American Roman Catholic priest
- Richard O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Riley O'Brien, American baseball player
- Robert O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Rory Brien
- Ron O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Roy O'Brien
S
- Scott O'Brien
- Sean O'Brien (disambiguation)
- Sean Patrick O'Brien (1988-2023), American professional wrestling referee
- Shane O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Shannon O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Sicele O'Brien, Irish aviator
- Simon O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Soledad O'Brien, American television journalist
- Stephen O'Brien, UK conservative politician for Eddisbury
- Stuart O'Brien (1906–2004), American film editor
- Stuart O'Brien (stage) (1833–1883), Australian actor
T
- Terence O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Thomas O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Tim O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Timothy O'Brien (theatre designer) (1929–2022), British theatre designer
- Timothy O'Brien (endocrinologist), Irish professor
- Timothy L. O'Brien (born 1961), American journalist
- Tina O'Brien (born 1983), English actress
- Tom O'Brien (actor) (b. 1965), American film actor
- Tom O'Brien (American football) (b. 1948), American college football coach at North Carolina State University
- Tom O'Brien (outfielder) (1873–1901), baseball outfielder
- Tom O'Brien (second baseman) (1860–1921), 19th century baseball player
- Tom O'Brien (trade unionist) (1900–1970), British trade unionist and Member of Parliament
- Tommy O'Brien (baseball) (1918–1978), baseball outfielder
U
- Una O'Brien, British civil servant
V
W
- Walter O'Brien, Computer expert and Irish businessman
- Walter A. O'Brien, American Progressive Party politician
- William O'Brien (disambiguation), various
- Willis H. O'Brien (1886–1962), American motion picture special effects pioneer
Z
- Zach O'Brien, professional ice hockey player
As first or middle names
- O'Brien Alston (b. 1965), American former football linebacker
- O'Brien Schofield (b. 1987), American former football linebacker
- O'Brien Smith (c. 1756 – 1811), Irish-American political figure
Fictional people named O'Brien
- O'Brien, a character in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four
- Lady Cassandra O'Brien, fictional character, Doctor Who antagonist
- Chloe O'Brian, a fictional character played by actress Mary Lynn Rajskub on the US television series 24
- Graham O'Brien, a companion of the Thirteenth Doctor in the BBC series Doctor Who
- Keiko O'Brien, fictional character, wife of Miles O'Brien in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine
- Miles O'Brien, a fictional character in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine
- Sarah O'Brien, a fictional character on the ITV series Downton Abbey
- Shelia O'Brian, a character from the animated TV series Dungeons and Dragons
- Mr. O'Brien, Mrs. O'Brien and Jack O'Brien, fictional characters in The Tree of Life film
See also
- O'Brien dynasty, the royal dynasty who ruled Thomond
Surname listThis page lists people with the surname O'Brien. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link. Categories: