Kiernan
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- KEER-nun
- Origin
- Irish
- US rank, 2025
- #3,378 for boys
Kiernan is a boys' name of Irish origin, meaning “little dark one”. In 2025 it ranked 3,378th for boys in the US (34 babies).
What does Kiernan mean?
Irish: variant of Kieran; also an Irish surname
“little dark one”
Kieran comes from Irish Ciaran, from ciar 'dark', the name of several early Irish saints.
Is Kiernan a girl's or a boy's name?
Kiernan is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 9 girls and 34 boys in the US.
How popular is Kiernan in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2003, with 9 boys.
Half of all the boys named Kiernan in the UK since 1996 were born between 2001 and 2008, the years shaded on the chart below.
Kiernan in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4 | #4,335 |
| 2022 | 1 | #6,413 |
| 2021 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | 1 | #6,143 |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 2 | #6,210 |
| 2017 | 1 | #6,312 |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 4 | #4,147 |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 5 | #3,395 |
| 2008 | 7 | #2,616 |
| 2007 | 4 | #3,748 |
| 2006 | 5 | #3,013 |
| 2005 | 5 | #2,885 |
| 2004 | 8 | #1,983 |
| 2003 | 9 | #1,723 |
| 2002 | 8 | #1,728 |
| 2001 | 3 | #3,255 |
| 2000 | 5 | #2,237 |
| 1999 | 5 | #2,184 |
| 1998 | 7 | #1,727 |
| 1997 | 3 | #2,979 |
| 1996 | 1 | #3,776 |
How popular is Kiernan in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,378among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 34about 1 in 50,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 3% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 34 boys in the US were named Kiernan, making it the 3,378th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,342nd. Its busiest year was 2008, with 77 boys. It first appears in the records in 1957. 9 girls were also named Kiernan in 2025 (10,104th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Kiernan in the US since 1880 were born between 1999 and 2014, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 21% of the babies named Kiernan in the US were girls.
Kiernan in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 34 | #3,378 |
| 2024 | 39 | #3,103 |
| 2023 | 29 | #3,799 |
| 2022 | 31 | #3,615 |
| 2021 | 41 | #2,971 |
| 2020 | 33 | #3,342 |
| 2019 | 29 | #3,713 |
| 2018 | 43 | #2,795 |
| 2017 | 54 | #2,387 |
| 2016 | 32 | #3,440 |
| 2015 | 40 | #2,918 |
| 2014 | 42 | #2,803 |
| 2013 | 34 | #3,187 |
| 2012 | 41 | #2,867 |
| 2011 | 60 | #2,172 |
| 2010 | 74 | #1,912 |
| 2009 | 66 | #2,076 |
| 2008 | 77 | #1,874 |
| 2007 | 66 | #2,071 |
| 2006 | 49 | #2,476 |
| 2005 | 67 | #1,885 |
| 2004 | 56 | #2,098 |
| 2003 | 69 | #1,746 |
| 2002 | 67 | #1,720 |
| 2001 | 60 | #1,837 |
| 2000 | 68 | #1,677 |
| 1999 | 48 | #1,992 |
| 1998 | 39 | #2,271 |
| 1997 | 40 | #2,161 |
| 1996 | 50 | #1,813 |
| 1995 | 34 | #2,294 |
| 1994 | 38 | #2,118 |
| 1993 | 32 | #2,341 |
| 1992 | 21 | #3,099 |
| 1991 | 20 | #3,099 |
| 1990 | 16 | #3,601 |
| 1989 | 14 | #3,803 |
| 1988 | 12 | #3,910 |
| 1987 | 14 | #3,334 |
| 1986 | 7 | #5,327 |
| 1985 | 10 | #4,047 |
| 1984 | 8 | #4,549 |
| 1983 | 5 | #6,234 |
| 1982 | 11 | #3,690 |
| 1981 | 7 | #4,959 |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 5 | #5,769 |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 5 | #5,584 |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 5 | #4,905 |
| 1970 | 5 | #4,722 |
| 1969 | 9 | #3,061 |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 0 | – |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 0 | – |
| 1958 | 0 | – |
| 1957 | 5 | #3,991 |
Names like Kiernan
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Ronan Keegan Declan Finn Kian Aiden Conan Kayden Keelan Brogan Conlan Keenan
Names related to Kiernan
More Irish names
Oscar Rowan Rory Maeve Ryan Nolan Quinn Orla Cody Erin Connor Casey Kennedy Callan Lennon Cillian
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, “Kiernan: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kiernan, updated 20 October 2026.