Kierran
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- KEER-an
- Origin
- Irish
Kierran is a boys' name of Irish origin, meaning “little dark one”. Too few babies were given it in the latest year to rank.
What does Kierran mean?
Irish: spelling of Kieran; 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.
Meaning borrowed from Kieran. More on Wiktionary.
Is Kierran a girl's or a boy's name?
Kierran is a boys' name.
How popular is Kierran in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1996, with 18 boys.
Half of all the boys named Kierran in the UK since 1996 were born between 1997 and 2002. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Kierran in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 3 | #4,486 |
| 2006 | 5 | #3,013 |
| 2005 | 5 | #2,885 |
| 2004 | 5 | #2,691 |
| 2003 | 6 | #2,283 |
| 2002 | 8 | #1,728 |
| 2001 | 10 | #1,458 |
| 2000 | 9 | #1,503 |
| 1999 | 12 | #1,188 |
| 1998 | 16 | #980 |
| 1997 | 18 | #899 |
| 1996 | 18 | #852 |
Names like Kierran
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Declan Keelan Keenan Regan Keegan Brogan Conlan Kenan Ronan Ryan Rogan Conan
Names related to Kierran
More Irish names
Oscar Rowan Rory Maeve Finn Aiden Nolan Quinn Orla Cody Erin Connor 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, “Kierran: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kierran, updated 20 October 2026.