Kilian
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- KIL-ee-an
- Origin
- Irish
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,286 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,166 for boys
Kilian is a boys' name of Irish origin, meaning “possibly little church, or strife”. In 2025 it ranked 1,286th for boys in the UK (23 babies) and 1,166th for boys in the US (177 babies).
What does Kilian mean?
Irish: anglicised form of Irish Cillian
“possibly little church, or strife”
St Kilian was a 7th-century Irish missionary martyred at Würzburg, where he is patron saint, so the name is also used in Germany.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Kilian a girl's or a boy's name?
Kilian is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 23 boys in the UK and 177 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Kilian in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,286th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 23 about 1 in 13,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 10% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 23 boys in the UK were named Kilian, making it the 1,286th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,179th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 26 boys.
Half of all the boys named Kilian in the UK since 1996 were born between 2012 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 538 boys in the UK were given Kilian or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #119, up from #1,286 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,225th in England and Wales.
Kilian in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 23 | #1,286 |
| 2024 | 19 | #1,470 |
| 2023 | 20 | #1,399 |
| 2022 | 16 | #1,639 |
| 2021 | 26 | #1,166 |
| 2020 | 25 | #1,179 |
| 2019 | 20 | #1,351 |
| 2018 | 24 | #1,210 |
| 2017 | 10 | #2,306 |
| 2016 | 12 | #2,007 |
| 2015 | 12 | #1,990 |
| 2014 | 7 | #2,843 |
| 2013 | 7 | #2,792 |
| 2012 | 9 | #2,382 |
| 2011 | 5 | #3,446 |
| 2010 | 5 | #3,478 |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 7 | #2,616 |
| 2007 | 6 | #2,873 |
| 2006 | 3 | #4,204 |
| 2005 | 8 | #2,090 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 5 | #2,574 |
| 2002 | 7 | #1,900 |
| 2001 | 4 | #2,714 |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 8 | #1,569 |
| 1997 | 1 | #3,857 |
| 1996 | 6 | #1,840 |
How popular is Kilian in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,166th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 177 about 1 in 9,600 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 39% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 177 boys in the US were named Kilian, making it the 1,166th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,222nd. Its busiest year was 2023, with 212 boys. It first appears in the records in 1970.
Half of all the boys named Kilian in the US since 1880 were born between 2011 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 2,017 boys in the US were given Kilian or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #200, up from #1,166 for this spelling alone.
Kilian in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 177 | #1,166 |
| 2024 | 209 | #1,053 |
| 2023 | 212 | #1,031 |
| 2022 | 161 | #1,220 |
| 2021 | 168 | #1,170 |
| 2020 | 154 | #1,222 |
| 2019 | 132 | #1,354 |
| 2018 | 145 | #1,261 |
| 2017 | 162 | #1,159 |
| 2016 | 161 | #1,180 |
| 2015 | 132 | #1,334 |
| 2014 | 91 | #1,679 |
| 2013 | 41 | #2,802 |
| 2012 | 59 | #2,208 |
| 2011 | 40 | #2,903 |
| 2010 | 43 | #2,786 |
| 2009 | 47 | #2,622 |
| 2008 | 44 | #2,752 |
| 2007 | 36 | #3,133 |
| 2006 | 35 | #3,082 |
| 2005 | 26 | #3,611 |
| 2004 | 32 | #3,070 |
| 2003 | 21 | #3,971 |
| 2002 | 20 | #4,038 |
| 2001 | 32 | #2,859 |
| 2000 | 22 | #3,634 |
| 1999 | 25 | #3,178 |
| 1998 | 21 | #3,482 |
| 1997 | 20 | #3,450 |
| 1996 | 25 | #2,906 |
| 1995 | 25 | #2,842 |
| 1994 | 20 | #3,320 |
| 1993 | 20 | #3,240 |
| 1992 | 28 | #2,527 |
| 1991 | 16 | #3,629 |
| 1990 | 18 | #3,303 |
| 1989 | 12 | #4,265 |
| 1988 | 10 | #4,445 |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 6 | #5,557 |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 5 | #6,383 |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 6 | #5,056 |
| 1977 | 6 | #5,121 |
| 1976 | 6 | #4,933 |
| 1975 | 8 | #3,939 |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 6 | #4,438 |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 5 | #4,722 |
Names like Kilian
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Finn, Kian, Ronan, Kayden, Keegan, Cassian, Aiden, Conan, Rowan, Brody, Callan, Brayden
Other spellings of Kilian
Names related to Kilian
More Irish names
Oscar, Rory, Maeve, Ryan, Nolan, Quinn, Orla, Cody, Erin, Connor, Declan, Casey, Kennedy, Lennon, Kevin, Sloane
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, “Kilian: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kilian, updated 20 October 2026.