Girl · #463 in 2026

Kira

Kira is a mostly feminine name of multiple origins and meanings; in Japan, Kira is a unisex given name.

Current Rank
#463
Peak Rank
#241 (2005)
Total Babies
41K
5-Yr Trend
-13%
1938
First Year
2026
Last Year
2005
Peak Year
#241
Peak Rank
41K
Total Count
76
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Kira

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

Kira is a mostly feminine name of multiple origins and meanings; in Japan, Kira is a unisex given name.

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

Etymology
The feminine keria form is pronounced / ˈ k ɪər ə / KEER -ə or / ˈ k iː r ə / KEE -rə . It might be a feminine form of the name Kiran , pronounced / ˈ k ɪər ə n / KEER -ən . Kiran is of Hindi and Sanskrit origin, meaning "beam of light". In Ancient Hebrew "Keren" means both "a horn" and "a beam of light". Besides Sanskrit and Hebrew there might be other etymologies from Egyptian, where the word Ki-Ra means "like Ra ", or Persian. Due to the Greek interpretation of the Persian king's name Kourosh (کوروش, Kūrosh ) as Κύρος ( Kýros ) – which was obviously modeled after the Greek word κύριος ( kýr

The Story of Kira

Kira first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1938, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2005, when 1,391 Kiras were born — ranking #241 that year. As of 2026, Kira ranks #463 for baby girls with 666 births, gradually falling (-13%). In total, more than 41K Kiras have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1930s through 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

Notable people named Kira

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

  • Kira (born 1977), Belgian singer
  • Kira (born 1978), German singer
  • Kira (born 2003), Mexican professional wrestler
  • Kira Balinger (born 2000), Filipino actress, model, endorser and performer
  • Kira Banasińska (1899 – 2002), Polish humanitarian
  • Kira Barton , American mechanical engineer
  • Kira Bilecky (born 1986), American-Peruvian footballer
  • Kira Bousloff (1914 – 2001), Russian-Australian dancer

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

Names that sound like Kira

Phonetically similar names — useful when Kira 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 Kira

What does the name Kira mean?
Kira is a mostly feminine name of multiple origins and meanings; in Japan, Kira is a unisex given name.
How popular is Kira in 2026?
In 2026, Kira ranks #463 among girls' names in the U.S., with 666 babies given the name that year.
When was Kira most popular?
Kira reached its peak popularity in 2005, ranking #241 that year with 1,391 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Kira most popular?
Kira has historically been most popular in Hawaii, Alaska, Vermont. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Kira.
Is Kira a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Kira is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Kira?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Kira include Laurel, Maisie, Lorie. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Kira

Kira is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1938 and has accumulated 41K births in the dataset. Kira's peak popularity came in 2005 when it ranked #241. Use the chart and map above to compare Kira'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.