Kien
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- KYEN
- Origin
- Vietnamese
- US rank, 2025
- #6,442 for boys
Kien is a boys' name of Vietnamese origin, meaning “firm, steadfast”. In 2025 it ranked 6,442nd for boys in the US (13 babies).
What does Kien mean?
Vietnamese: Sino-Vietnamese kiên
“firm, steadfast”
From the Sino-Vietnamese word kiên, 'firm, resolute', written 堅 in Chinese characters.
Is Kien a girl's or a boy's name?
Kien is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 13 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Kien in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2000, with 19 boys.
Half of all the boys named Kien in the UK since 1996 were born between 2003 and 2013, the years shaded on the chart below.
Kien in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5 | #3,712 |
| 2022 | 3 | #5,017 |
| 2021 | 6 | #3,179 |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 3 | #4,913 |
| 2018 | 1 | #6,277 |
| 2017 | 4 | #4,161 |
| 2016 | 5 | #3,655 |
| 2015 | 5 | #3,527 |
| 2014 | 7 | #2,843 |
| 2013 | 7 | #2,792 |
| 2012 | 5 | #3,572 |
| 2011 | 9 | #2,311 |
| 2010 | 6 | #3,092 |
| 2009 | 10 | #2,084 |
| 2008 | 7 | #2,616 |
| 2007 | 8 | #2,337 |
| 2006 | 9 | #1,995 |
| 2005 | 10 | #1,814 |
| 2004 | 12 | #1,494 |
| 2003 | 12 | #1,418 |
| 2002 | 9 | #1,594 |
| 2001 | 12 | #1,283 |
| 2000 | 19 | #917 |
| 1999 | 3 | #3,043 |
How popular is Kien in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 6,442nd among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 13 about 1 in 130,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 6% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 13 boys in the US were named Kien, making it the 6,442nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 5,976th. Its busiest year was 2024, with 26 boys. It first appears in the records in 1982.
Half of all the boys named Kien in the US since 1880 were born between 2003 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.
Kien in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 13 | #6,442 |
| 2024 | 26 | #4,069 |
| 2023 | 13 | #6,512 |
| 2022 | 15 | #5,870 |
| 2021 | 22 | #4,490 |
| 2020 | 14 | #5,976 |
| 2019 | 20 | #4,802 |
| 2018 | 15 | #5,766 |
| 2017 | 16 | #5,522 |
| 2016 | 21 | #4,623 |
| 2015 | 18 | #5,056 |
| 2014 | 17 | #5,248 |
| 2013 | 21 | #4,461 |
| 2012 | 15 | #5,714 |
| 2011 | 16 | #5,429 |
| 2010 | 20 | #4,676 |
| 2009 | 22 | #4,427 |
| 2008 | 19 | #4,897 |
| 2007 | 13 | #6,259 |
| 2006 | 10 | #7,422 |
| 2005 | 14 | #5,572 |
| 2004 | 25 | #3,632 |
| 2003 | 18 | #4,421 |
| 2002 | 14 | #5,124 |
| 2001 | 12 | #5,660 |
| 2000 | 7 | #8,202 |
| 1999 | 9 | #6,524 |
| 1998 | 7 | #7,553 |
| 1997 | 7 | #7,275 |
| 1996 | 10 | #5,528 |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 8 | #6,366 |
| 1993 | 8 | #6,221 |
| 1992 | 6 | #7,414 |
| 1991 | 8 | #5,934 |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 6 | #6,934 |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 7 | #5,142 |
| 1984 | 6 | #5,557 |
| 1983 | 6 | #5,481 |
| 1982 | 6 | #5,617 |
Names like Kien
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Finn, Kayden, Kian, Aiden, Ronan, Keegan, Brody, Declan, Conan, Brayden, Caelan, Kody
Names related to Kien
More Vietnamese names
An, Minh, Anh, Vy, Khoi, Khang, Ngoc, Can, Nhi, Nam, Thang, Khoa, Vinh, Phuong, Nguyen, Liem
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Kien: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kien, updated 20 October 2026.