Killian
Boy · KIL-ee-an · Irish
Big in Northern Ireland
Killian is a boys' name of Irish origin, meaning “possibly little church, or strife”. In 2025 it ranked 546th for boys in the UK (78 babies) and 417th for boys in the US (770 babies).
What does Killian mean?
Irish: anglicised form of Irish Cillian
“possibly little church, or strife”
Anglicised form of the Irish Cillian, borne by St Kilian, the 7th-century Irish missionary to Franconia.
- Say it
- KIL-ee-an
More on Wiktionary.
Is Killian a girl's or a boy's name?
Killian is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 78 boys in the UK and 15 girls and 770 boys in the US.
How popular is Killian in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #546among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 78about 1 in 3,800 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 12% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 78 boys in the UK were named Killian, making it the 546th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 498th. Its busiest year was 2022, with 101 boys.
2025 had fewer boys named Killian than any year since 2016.
Half of all the boys named Killian 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 Killian or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #119, up from #546 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 627th in England and Wales, 441st in Scotland and 175th in Northern Ireland.
Killian in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 78 | #546 |
| 2024 | 85 | #514 |
| 2023 | 83 | #526 |
| 2022 | 101 | #449 |
| 2021 | 84 | #528 |
| 2020 | 86 | #498 |
| 2019 | 94 | #476 |
| 2018 | 100 | #457 |
| 2017 | 83 | #530 |
| 2016 | 65 | #618 |
| 2015 | 44 | #794 |
| 2014 | 18 | #1,454 |
| 2013 | 14 | #1,715 |
| 2012 | 23 | #1,234 |
| 2011 | 22 | #1,252 |
| 2010 | 19 | #1,385 |
| 2009 | 28 | #1,032 |
| 2008 | 20 | #1,294 |
| 2007 | 24 | #1,102 |
| 2006 | 25 | #1,008 |
| 2005 | 23 | #1,033 |
| 2004 | 27 | #864 |
| 2003 | 14 | #1,272 |
| 2002 | 11 | #1,384 |
| 2001 | 14 | #1,149 |
| 2000 | 21 | #862 |
| 1999 | 15 | #1,043 |
| 1998 | 14 | #1,062 |
| 1997 | 16 | #973 |
| 1996 | 11 | #1,215 |
How popular is Killian in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #417among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 770about 1 in 2,200 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 21% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 770 boys in the US were named Killian, making it the 417th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 352nd. Its busiest year was 2017, with 1,506 boys. It first appears in the records in 1915. 15 girls were also named Killian in 2025 (7,131st for girls).
2025 had fewer boys named Killian than any year since 2014.
Half of all the boys named Killian in the US since 1880 were born between 2013 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 2,017 boys in the US were given Killian or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #200, up from #417 for this spelling alone.
Girls were 27% of the babies named Killian in the US in 1988, and 2% in 2025.
Killian in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 770 | #417 |
| 2024 | 885 | #370 |
| 2023 | 884 | #367 |
| 2022 | 903 | #364 |
| 2021 | 939 | #347 |
| 2020 | 899 | #352 |
| 2019 | 1,089 | #311 |
| 2018 | 1,229 | #287 |
| 2017 | 1,506 | #248 |
| 2016 | 1,382 | #264 |
| 2015 | 976 | #349 |
| 2014 | 545 | #511 |
| 2013 | 294 | #767 |
| 2012 | 270 | #818 |
| 2011 | 299 | #757 |
| 2010 | 293 | #764 |
| 2009 | 304 | #752 |
| 2008 | 274 | #799 |
| 2007 | 255 | #837 |
| 2006 | 176 | #1,036 |
| 2005 | 162 | #1,034 |
| 2004 | 151 | #1,060 |
| 2003 | 117 | #1,232 |
| 2002 | 117 | #1,189 |
| 2001 | 129 | #1,098 |
| 2000 | 139 | #1,038 |
| 1999 | 113 | #1,156 |
| 1998 | 137 | #996 |
| 1997 | 145 | #929 |
| 1996 | 145 | #906 |
| 1995 | 135 | #953 |
| 1994 | 94 | #1,174 |
| 1993 | 94 | #1,151 |
| 1992 | 71 | #1,335 |
| 1991 | 75 | #1,291 |
| 1990 | 81 | #1,211 |
| 1989 | 54 | #1,511 |
| 1988 | 22 | #2,594 |
| 1987 | 9 | #4,567 |
| 1986 | 13 | #3,437 |
| 1985 | 9 | #4,328 |
| 1984 | 7 | #4,969 |
| 1983 | 9 | #4,139 |
| 1982 | 9 | #4,232 |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 0 | – |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 0 | – |
| 1958 | 0 | – |
| 1957 | 0 | – |
| 1956 | 0 | – |
| 1955 | 0 | – |
| 1954 | 0 | – |
| 1953 | 0 | – |
| 1952 | 0 | – |
| 1951 | 0 | – |
| 1950 | 0 | – |
| 1949 | 0 | – |
| 1948 | 0 | – |
| 1947 | 0 | – |
| 1946 | 0 | – |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 0 | – |
| 1941 | 0 | – |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 0 | – |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 0 | – |
| 1934 | 0 | – |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 0 | – |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 0 | – |
| 1923 | 0 | – |
| 1922 | 0 | – |
| 1921 | 0 | – |
| 1920 | 5 | #4,284 |
| 1919 | 0 | – |
| 1918 | 0 | – |
| 1917 | 0 | – |
| 1916 | 0 | – |
| 1915 | 5 | #3,824 |
Names like Killian
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Finn Kian Ronan Kayden Aiden Conan Brody Cassian Rowan Keegan Kody Caelan
Other spellings of Killian
Names related to Killian
More Irish names
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