ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👦As Boy Name 1918 First Year 2026 Last Year 2026 Peak Year #434 Peak Rank 18K Total Count 100 Years Active 👧As Girl Name 1949 First Year 2026 Last Year 2007 Peak Year #2338 Peak Rank 2K Total Count 65 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Kieran What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Ciarán or Ciaran is a traditionally male given name of Irish and Scottish origin. It means "little dark one" or "little dark-haired one", produced by appending a diminutive suffix to ciar. It is the masculine version of the name Ciara. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciar%C3%A1n) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciar%C3%A1n) [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Kieran](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Birr_St._Brendan%27s_Church_Saint_Kieran_Window_Detail_2010_09_10.jpg/330px-Birr_St._Brendan%27s_Church_Saint_Kieran_Window_Detail_2010_09_10.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciar%C3%A1n) 📖 ## The Story of Kieran ### As a girl name Kieran first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1949, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2007, when 77 Kierans were born — ranking #2,433 that year. As of 2026, Kieran ranks #7,164 for girls with 15 births, gradually falling (-15%). In total, more than 2K Kierans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1940s through the 2020s. ### As a boy name Kieran first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1918, with 8 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2026, when 728 Kierans were born — ranking #434 that year. As of 2026, Kieran ranks #434 for boys with 728 births, rising sharply (+18% over the past five years). In total, more than 18K Kierans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys 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 ⭐ ## Notable people named Kieran A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia. * ●Ciarán Bairéad (1905–1976), Irish folklorist and scholar * ●Ciarán Bourke (1935–1988), Irish musician * ●Ciarán Brennan (born 1956), Irish musician * ●Ciarán Byrne (born 1994), Irish Australian rules footballer * ●Ciarán Cannon (born 1965), Irish politician * ●Ciarán Carey (born 1970), Irish hurling player * ●Ciaran Carson (1948–2019), Northern Irish poet and playwright * ●Ciaran Clark (born 1989), Irish footballer Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciar%C3%A1n) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciar%C3%A1n) 🎶 ## Names that sound like Kieran Phonetically similar names — useful when Kieran is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Kiran](/kiran) * [Keeran](/keeran) * [Kyran](/kyran) * Cyran * [Kiron](/kiron) * [Karen](/karen) * [Karan](/karan) * [Charon](/charon) * [Keren](/keren) * [Karon](/karon) * [Kirin](/kirin) * [Charron](/charron) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Kieran What does the name Kieran mean? Ciarán or Ciaran is a traditionally male given name of Irish and Scottish origin. It means "little dark one" or "little dark-haired one", produced by appending a diminutive suffix to ciar. It is the masculine version of the name Ciara. How popular is Kieran in 2026? In 2026, Kieran ranks #434 among boys' names in the U.S., with 728 babies given the name that year. When was Kieran most popular? Kieran reached its peak popularity in 2026, ranking #434 that year with 728 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Kieran most popular? Kieran has historically been most popular in Vermont, District of Columbia, New Hampshire. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Kieran. Is Kieran a unisex name? Yes — Kieran is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 8% of Kierans assigned female and 92% assigned male historically. What names go well with Kieran? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Kieran include Lonzo, Ford, Blair. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦LonzoPeak #434](/lonzo)[👦FordPeak #434](/ford)[👦BlairPeak #434](/blair)[👦RamiroPeak #433](/ramiro) ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧SchuylerPeak #2338](/schuyler)[👧RashellePeak #2338](/rashelle)[👧AndreannaPeak #2338](/andreanna)[👧TakiraPeak #2338](/takira) ## About the name Kieran Kieran is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1918 and has accumulated 18K births in the dataset. Kieran's peak popularity came in 2026 when it ranked #434\. Use the chart and map above to compare Kieran's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Names of the 2020s → ](/decade/2020s) * [ Names starting with "K" → ](/letter/k) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.