Tiernan
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- TEER-nan
- Origin
- Irish
- UK rank, 2025
- #902 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #3,756 for boys
- Style
- Big in Scotland, big in Northern Ireland
Tiernan is a boys' name of Irish origin, meaning “little lord”. In 2025 it ranked 902nd for boys in the UK (38 babies) and 3,756th for boys in the US (29 babies).
What does Tiernan mean?
Irish: anglicised form of Tighearnan
“little lord”
An anglicised form of the Irish Tighearnan, a pet form of tighearna, meaning lord; it is also an Irish surname.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Tiernan a girl's or a boy's name?
Tiernan is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 38 boys in the UK and 29 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Tiernan in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 902nd among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 38 about 1 in 7,900 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 2% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 38 boys in the UK were named Tiernan, making it the 902nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,105th. Its busiest year was 2008, with 88 boys.
Half of all the boys named Tiernan in the UK since 1996 were born between 2003 and 2016, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 57 boys in the UK were given Tiernan or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #635, up from #902 for this spelling alone.
- Tiernan 38
- Tiarnan 19
Among boys in 2025, it was 2,938th in England and Wales, 441st in Scotland and 99th in Northern Ireland.
Tiernan in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 38 | #902 |
| 2024 | 28 | #1,111 |
| 2023 | 41 | #860 |
| 2022 | 40 | #863 |
| 2021 | 45 | #805 |
| 2020 | 27 | #1,105 |
| 2019 | 42 | #815 |
| 2018 | 40 | #860 |
| 2017 | 44 | #829 |
| 2016 | 30 | #1,056 |
| 2015 | 29 | #1,064 |
| 2014 | 39 | #860 |
| 2013 | 37 | #888 |
| 2012 | 51 | #718 |
| 2011 | 50 | #710 |
| 2010 | 64 | #596 |
| 2009 | 57 | #629 |
| 2008 | 88 | #463 |
| 2007 | 84 | #456 |
| 2006 | 71 | #495 |
| 2005 | 75 | #433 |
| 2004 | 69 | #443 |
| 2003 | 58 | #472 |
| 2002 | 54 | #460 |
| 2001 | 63 | #416 |
| 2000 | 58 | #423 |
| 1999 | 61 | #408 |
| 1998 | 32 | #620 |
| 1997 | 28 | #652 |
| 1996 | 11 | #1,215 |
How popular is Tiernan in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 3,756th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 29 about 1 in 59,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 25% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 29 boys in the US were named Tiernan, making it the 3,756th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,694th. Its busiest year was 2007, with 86 boys. It first appears in the records in 1985.
Half of all the boys named Tiernan in the US since 1880 were born between 2003 and 2014, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2018, 15% of the babies named Tiernan in the US were girls.
Tiernan in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 29 | #3,756 |
| 2024 | 26 | #4,069 |
| 2023 | 35 | #3,345 |
| 2022 | 38 | #3,149 |
| 2021 | 32 | #3,494 |
| 2020 | 20 | #4,694 |
| 2019 | 24 | #4,226 |
| 2018 | 28 | #3,789 |
| 2017 | 26 | #3,989 |
| 2016 | 36 | #3,160 |
| 2015 | 46 | #2,640 |
| 2014 | 49 | #2,514 |
| 2013 | 53 | #2,363 |
| 2012 | 56 | #2,291 |
| 2011 | 73 | #1,904 |
| 2010 | 73 | #1,923 |
| 2009 | 85 | #1,773 |
| 2008 | 78 | #1,861 |
| 2007 | 86 | #1,728 |
| 2006 | 67 | #1,993 |
| 2005 | 69 | #1,850 |
| 2004 | 68 | #1,812 |
| 2003 | 62 | #1,882 |
| 2002 | 55 | #1,994 |
| 2001 | 49 | #2,113 |
| 2000 | 41 | #2,326 |
| 1999 | 39 | #2,297 |
| 1998 | 35 | #2,447 |
| 1997 | 18 | #3,733 |
| 1996 | 17 | #3,824 |
| 1995 | 16 | #3,848 |
| 1994 | 7 | #6,962 |
| 1993 | 12 | #4,690 |
| 1992 | 10 | #5,228 |
| 1991 | 8 | #5,934 |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 5 | #7,898 |
| 1988 | 5 | #7,264 |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 5 | #6,517 |
Names like Tiernan
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Ronan, Finn, Aiden, Declan, Kian, Keegan, Caelan, Conan, Kayden, Rowan, Brayden, Regan
Other spellings of Tiernan
Names related to Tiernan
More Irish names
Oscar, Rory, Maeve, Ryan, Nolan, Quinn, Orla, Cody, Erin, Connor, Casey, Kennedy, Callan, Lennon, Cillian, Kevin
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, “Tiernan: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/tiernan, updated 20 October 2026.