Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Kieran

Kieran is the anglicized form of the Irish personal name Ciarán from the Gaelic “ciar” meaning “black”. The diminutive suffix “-án” gives the name its ultimate meaning: “little black one”. The name was probably given to children with dark features (brown hair and eyes) as opposed to the fairer babies of Erin (the female variation is Ciara). Several early Irish saints bore the name Ciarán which helped to popularize the name as Ireland became Christianized. Saint Ciarán the Elder is considered one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland as is Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise (both lived in the 6th century). The English anglicized the name to Kieran and today it’s the preferred spelling in England, Scotland and Wales (as well as the United States). Ireland and Northern Ireland still stick with the traditional Irish Ciarán.

All About the Baby Name – Kieran

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME KIERAN

The number Four personality is marked by stability and discipline. This is the personality that follows the rules and is conservative by nature.  They have an earth-bound energy that prefers to build things methodically on top of firm foundations; they don't cut corners. Fours take their time and don't like to be hurried. But the outcome of their endeavors is likely to result in some strong and useful structure, which makes them great engineers and inventors. Fours are anything but frivolous or controversial. This is a trustworthy, straight-forward personality that embodies dedication and organization. They are the backbone and anchor in their relationships, careers and communities. They are tidy, punctual, and full of integrity. Hard-work comes naturally to a Four and they are immensely reliable. This is the personality you can always count on.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME KIERAN

Kieran popped up on the American male naming charts for the first time in 1992. This was right around the time that American parents were showing an increased interest in Irish names of Gaelic origin (although Americans typically go with the anglicized spellings). Kieran has done pretty well in the past 20 years, increasing to low-moderate levels of usage. The name is not popular by any means, but it is familiar and on the American radar. It’s a soft sounding name loaded with Irish charm, but it isn’t particularly masculine. As such, it feels little more refined. Ciarán has been around in Ireland for over 1,500 years, so this is an ancient name (even if the anglicized version is a bit more modern). Some people alter the pronunciation to KIE-ren in an effort to make it sound stronger, but Kieran is traditionally pronounced KEER-an. It’s a great choice for a dark-featured little baby boy. Just ask two beautiful dark haired actresses Alana de la Garza (from Law & Order) and Julianna Margulies (from ER) – they both named their sons Kieran. De la Garza is of Mexican-Irish descent and Margulies is Jewish. You don’t necessarily have to be Irish to love the name Kieran!

Quick Facts

ON KIERAN

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

Celtic

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

557

PRONUNCIATION:

KEER-an

SIMPLE MEANING:

Little dark one

Characteristics

OF KIERAN

Dependable

Solid

Practical

Hard-working

Industrious

Studious

Conservative

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Kieran

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME KIERAN

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Kieran

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME KIERAN

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Kieran


Popular Songs

ON KIERAN

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Kieran


Famous People

NAMED KIERAN

Kieran Culkin (actor)
Kieran Hebden (aka Four Tet, English musician)

Children of Famous People

NAMED KIERAN

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Kieran

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME KIERAN

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Kieran