Kieran
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.
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 (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
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
Popularity by State
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 (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
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.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Kieran
What does the name Kieran mean?
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Is Kieran a unisex name?
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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
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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.