Cianan
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- KEE-ah-nan
- Origin
- Irish
- UK rank, 2025
- #5,065 for boys
Big in Northern Ireland
Cianan is a boys' name of Irish origin, meaning “little ancient one”. In 2025 it ranked 5,065th for boys in the UK (3 babies).
What does Cianan mean?
Irish: diminutive of Cian
“little ancient one”
Saint Cianan of Duleek was a 5th-century Irish bishop said to have built one of Ireland's first stone churches.
Is Cianan a girl's or a boy's name?
Cianan is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 3 boys in the UK. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Cianan in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #5,065among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 3about 1 in 100,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 23% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 3 boys in the UK were named Cianan, making it the 5,065th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,359th. Its busiest year was 2023, with 11 boys.
Half of all the boys named Cianan in the UK since 1996 were born between 2005 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 395th in Northern Ireland.
Cianan in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | #5,065 |
| 2024 | 3 | #5,198 |
| 2023 | 11 | #2,155 |
| 2022 | 9 | #2,457 |
| 2021 | 6 | #3,179 |
| 2020 | 9 | #2,359 |
| 2019 | 6 | #3,184 |
| 2018 | 7 | #2,823 |
| 2017 | 4 | #4,161 |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 1 | #6,220 |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 3 | #4,999 |
| 2011 | 4 | #3,986 |
| 2010 | 1 | #6,148 |
| 2009 | 6 | #2,970 |
| 2008 | 7 | #2,616 |
| 2007 | 5 | #3,231 |
| 2006 | 4 | #3,522 |
| 2005 | 6 | #2,545 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 9 | #1,723 |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 5 | #2,184 |
| 1998 | 4 | #2,531 |
| 1997 | 9 | #1,412 |
Nicknames for Cianan
- Cian 196 boys in the UK in 2025
Names like Cianan
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Conan Conlan Finn Ronan Keegan Conn Caelan Cassian Rogan Brogan Rowan Brayden
Names related to Cianan
More Irish names
Oscar Rory Maeve Aiden Ryan Nolan Quinn Orla Cody Erin Connor Declan Casey Kennedy Callan Lennon
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland) and Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Cianan: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/cianan, updated 20 October 2026.