Kieran
Boy · KEER-an · Irish
Kieran is a boys' name of Irish origin, meaning “little dark one”. In 2025 it ranked 601st for boys in the UK (70 babies) and 389th for boys in the US (817 babies).
What does Kieran mean?
Irish: anglicised form of Irish Ciarán
“little dark one”
Anglicised form of Ciarán; St Ciarán of Clonmacnoise founded one of Ireland's greatest monasteries in the 6th century.
- Say it
- KEER-an
More on Wiktionary.
Is Kieran a girl's or a boy's name?
Kieran is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 70 boys in the UK and 11 girls and 817 boys in the US.
How popular is Kieran in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #601among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 70about 1 in 4,300 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 56% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 70 boys in the UK were named Kieran, making it the 601st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 382nd. Its busiest year was 1996, with 3,374 boys.
Half of all the boys named Kieran in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2006. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
In 2025, 228 boys in the UK were given Kieran or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #241, up from #601 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 639th in England and Wales, 333rd in Scotland and 395th in Northern Ireland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1984 (#90), 1994 (#36) and 2004 (#40).
Kieran in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 70 | #601 |
| 2024 | 72 | #591 |
| 2023 | 57 | #684 |
| 2022 | 77 | #557 |
| 2021 | 78 | #558 |
| 2020 | 130 | #382 |
| 2019 | 157 | #333 |
| 2018 | 161 | #332 |
| 2017 | 189 | #303 |
| 2016 | 191 | #299 |
| 2015 | 246 | #255 |
| 2014 | 334 | #193 |
| 2013 | 370 | #175 |
| 2012 | 417 | #158 |
| 2011 | 592 | #122 |
| 2010 | 839 | #89 |
| 2009 | 883 | #87 |
| 2008 | 1,158 | #69 |
| 2007 | 1,487 | #61 |
| 2006 | 1,469 | #57 |
| 2005 | 1,562 | #48 |
| 2004 | 2,028 | #41 |
| 2003 | 2,423 | #35 |
| 2002 | 2,322 | #34 |
| 2001 | 2,485 | #33 |
| 2000 | 3,020 | #27 |
| 1999 | 3,234 | #27 |
| 1998 | 3,216 | #27 |
| 1997 | 3,252 | #28 |
| 1996 | 3,374 | #27 |
How popular is Kieran in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #389among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 817about 1 in 2,100 boys
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 26% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 817 boys in the US were named Kieran, making it the 389th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 514th. It first appears in the records in 1918. 11 girls were also named Kieran in 2025 (8,858th for girls).
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 5 years. 2025 had the most boys named Kieran of any year since it first appeared, in 1918.
Half of all the boys named Kieran in the US since 1880 were born between 2001 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 1,709 boys in the US were given Kieran or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #231, up from #389 for this spelling alone.
In 2025, 1% of the babies named Kieran in the US were girls.
Kieran in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 817 | #389 |
| 2024 | 716 | #440 |
| 2023 | 636 | #477 |
| 2022 | 621 | #490 |
| 2021 | 598 | #493 |
| 2020 | 558 | #514 |
| 2019 | 581 | #493 |
| 2018 | 579 | #497 |
| 2017 | 567 | #512 |
| 2016 | 540 | #539 |
| 2015 | 560 | #512 |
| 2014 | 483 | #575 |
| 2013 | 471 | #557 |
| 2012 | 470 | #554 |
| 2011 | 562 | #474 |
| 2010 | 469 | #540 |
| 2009 | 528 | #510 |
| 2008 | 502 | #532 |
| 2007 | 450 | #571 |
| 2006 | 445 | #562 |
| 2005 | 408 | #571 |
| 2004 | 425 | #544 |
| 2003 | 429 | #537 |
| 2002 | 399 | #554 |
| 2001 | 410 | #533 |
| 2000 | 416 | #528 |
| 1999 | 319 | #595 |
| 1998 | 292 | #625 |
| 1997 | 259 | #642 |
| 1996 | 278 | #623 |
| 1995 | 265 | #637 |
| 1994 | 233 | #679 |
| 1993 | 192 | #752 |
| 1992 | 125 | #958 |
| 1991 | 105 | #1,049 |
| 1990 | 109 | #1,009 |
| 1989 | 84 | #1,150 |
| 1988 | 64 | #1,282 |
| 1987 | 60 | #1,257 |
| 1986 | 62 | #1,216 |
| 1985 | 65 | #1,157 |
| 1984 | 74 | #1,032 |
| 1983 | 49 | #1,326 |
| 1982 | 59 | #1,209 |
| 1981 | 50 | #1,309 |
| 1980 | 43 | #1,449 |
| 1979 | 50 | #1,304 |
| 1978 | 47 | #1,326 |
| 1977 | 43 | #1,390 |
| 1976 | 35 | #1,540 |
| 1975 | 41 | #1,361 |
| 1974 | 36 | #1,439 |
| 1973 | 39 | #1,329 |
| 1972 | 27 | #1,680 |
| 1971 | 53 | #1,127 |
| 1970 | 44 | #1,253 |
| 1969 | 31 | #1,440 |
| 1968 | 35 | #1,282 |
| 1967 | 42 | #1,150 |
| 1966 | 39 | #1,193 |
| 1965 | 46 | #1,094 |
| 1964 | 39 | #1,235 |
| 1963 | 33 | #1,353 |
| 1962 | 33 | #1,366 |
| 1961 | 39 | #1,261 |
| 1960 | 37 | #1,294 |
| 1959 | 32 | #1,386 |
| 1958 | 34 | #1,320 |
| 1957 | 28 | #1,486 |
| 1956 | 22 | #1,675 |
| 1955 | 26 | #1,502 |
| 1954 | 12 | #2,315 |
| 1953 | 20 | #1,708 |
| 1952 | 18 | #1,803 |
| 1951 | 12 | #2,245 |
| 1950 | 18 | #1,745 |
| 1949 | 9 | #2,605 |
| 1948 | 11 | #2,325 |
| 1947 | 12 | #2,250 |
| 1946 | 15 | #1,883 |
| 1945 | 5 | #3,337 |
| 1944 | 10 | #2,308 |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 7 | #2,939 |
| 1941 | 5 | #3,504 |
| 1940 | 7 | #2,871 |
| 1939 | 7 | #2,829 |
| 1938 | 8 | #2,646 |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 5 | #3,548 |
| 1935 | 5 | #3,644 |
| 1934 | 9 | #2,563 |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 5 | #3,774 |
| 1931 | 9 | #2,650 |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 8 | #2,978 |
| 1928 | 5 | #4,149 |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 7 | #3,383 |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 5 | #4,345 |
| 1923 | 5 | #4,236 |
| 1922 | 0 | – |
| 1921 | 8 | #3,213 |
| 1920 | 0 | – |
| 1919 | 0 | – |
| 1918 | 8 | #3,095 |
Names like Kieran
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Declan Keegan Kian Ronan Conan Ryan Aiden Finn Regan Keelan Kayden Caelan
Other spellings of Kieran
Ciaran Kyren Kyran Kyron Kieron Khyren Kirin Kieren Kiren Khyrin Khyron Keeran
Names related to Kieran
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