Boy · #1,514 in 2026

Cian

Cian is a Gaelic given name meaning "ancient". Cian was the eighth most popular Irish boy's name in Ireland in 2003, and the fourteenth most popular in 2015. Anglicisations of Cian include Kian or Kyan.

  • Irish
  • Irish Mythology
  • Old Irish
Current Rank
#1,514
Peak Rank
#1,038 (2007)
Total Babies
4K
5-Yr Trend
-13%
1998
First Year
2007
Last Year
2004
Peak Year
#10690
Peak Rank
27
Total Count
4
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Cian

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Cian is a Gaelic given name meaning "ancient". Cian was the eighth most popular Irish boy's name in Ireland in 2003, and the fourteenth most popular in 2015. Anglicisations of Cian include Kian or Kyan.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Irish
  • Irish Mythology
  • Old Irish

The Story of Cian

American parents first put Cian on the record books as a baby boy name in 1976, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2007, when 181 Cians were born — ranking #1,038 that year. About 37% of every Cian on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Cian ranks #1,514 for baby boys with 118 births, gradually falling (-13%). All told, over 4K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Cian

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Cian. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

  • Cianán

Notable people named Cian

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

  • Cian Bolger (born 1992), Irish footballer
  • Cian Ciaran (born 1976), Welsh musician
  • Cian Dillon (born 1988), Irish hurler
  • Kian Egan (born 1980), Irish musician
  • Kian Emadi -Coffin (born 1992), British cyclist
  • Kian Hansen (born 1989), Danish football player
  • Cian Healy (born 1987), Irish rugby union player
  • Cian Hughton (born 1989), English-Irish footballer

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Names that sound like Cian

Phonetically similar names — useful when Cian is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cian

What does the name Cian mean?
Cian is a Gaelic given name meaning "ancient". Cian was the eighth most popular Irish boy's name in Ireland in 2003, and the fourteenth most popular in 2015. Anglicisations of Cian include Kian or Kyan.
What is the origin of the name Cian?
Cian has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Irish, Irish Mythology, Old Irish.
How popular is Cian in 2026?
In 2026, Cian ranks #1,514 among boys' names in the U.S., with 118 babies given the name that year.
When was Cian most popular?
Cian reached its peak popularity in 2007, ranking #1,038 that year with 181 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Cian most popular?
Cian has historically been most popular in Massachusetts, Idaho, Connecticut. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Cian.
Is Cian a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Cian is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Cian?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Cian include Ivar, Glyn, Doyce. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Cian?
Common variants and related forms of Cian include Cianán. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Cian

Cian is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1976 and has accumulated 4K births in the dataset. Cian's peak popularity came in 2007 when it ranked #1,038. Use the chart and map above to compare Cian's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.