Kirin
Mostly boys · KEER-in · Irish
Kirin is a name of Irish origin, meaning “little dark one”. In 2025 it ranked 4,049th for boys in the US (26 babies).
What does Kirin mean?
Irish: variant of Kieran; also Japanese kirin, a mythical beast
“little dark one”
In Japanese, kirin is the name of a mythical hooved creature, the qilin, and also the word for giraffe.
- Say it
- KEER-in
Is Kirin a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Kirin has been given to girls and boys, mostly boys. In 2025, it was given to 26 boys in the US.
How popular is Kirin in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2016, with 6 boys.
Kirin in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4 | #4,188 |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 1 | #6,277 |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 6 | #3,241 |
| 2015 | 5 | #3,527 |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 3 | #4,837 |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 5 | #3,395 |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 3 | #3,992 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 1 | #3,857 |
How popular is Kirin in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #4,049among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 26about 1 in 66,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 1% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 26 boys in the US were named Kirin, making it the 4,049th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,271st. Its busiest year was 2024, with 39 boys. It first appears in the records in 1995.
Half of all the boys named Kirin in the US since 1880 were born between 2008 and 2020, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 1,709 boys in the US were given Kirin or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #231, up from #4,049 for this spelling alone.
Girls were 48% of the babies named Kirin in the US in 2006, and 13% in 2024.
Kirin in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 26 | #4,049 |
| 2024 | 39 | #3,103 |
| 2023 | 12 | #6,892 |
| 2022 | 35 | #3,342 |
| 2021 | 29 | #3,736 |
| 2020 | 23 | #4,271 |
| 2019 | 36 | #3,198 |
| 2018 | 19 | #4,914 |
| 2017 | 13 | #6,334 |
| 2016 | 26 | #3,989 |
| 2015 | 27 | #3,881 |
| 2014 | 30 | #3,530 |
| 2013 | 18 | #4,978 |
| 2012 | 25 | #4,000 |
| 2011 | 30 | #3,509 |
| 2010 | 20 | #4,676 |
| 2009 | 19 | #4,920 |
| 2008 | 22 | #4,392 |
| 2007 | 22 | #4,373 |
| 2006 | 17 | #5,068 |
| 2005 | 12 | #6,220 |
| 2004 | 14 | #5,487 |
| 2003 | 11 | #6,251 |
| 2002 | 14 | #5,124 |
| 2001 | 6 | #9,236 |
| 2000 | 6 | #9,104 |
| 1999 | 7 | #7,867 |
| 1998 | 6 | #8,472 |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 0 | – |
| 1995 | 6 | #7,785 |
Names like Kirin
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Kian Kayden Aiden Ronan Declan Brayden Kairo Keegan Finn Callan Koen Killian
Other spellings of Kirin
Kieran Kyren Ciaran Kyron Kyran Khyren Kieren Kiren Khyrin Khyron Keeran
Names related to Kirin
More Irish names
Oscar Rowan Rory Maeve Ryan Nolan Quinn Orla Cody Erin Connor Casey Kennedy Lennon Cillian Kevin