Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Kyra

There are two possible etymologies for the female name Kyra. Most typically, it’s considered a variant of Kira which itself is a variant of the Irish feminine name Ciara, from the Irish Gaelic “Ciarán” meaning ‘little dark one’. In ancient times, Ciara was often bestowed upon babies with dark features. In Ireland, they still favor the traditional spelling of Ciara, but in England, Scotland and the United States, names like Keira, Kira and Kyra tend to be favored. The other etymological source for this name could be from the medieval Greek word “kyra” meaning “lady” (a feminine take of the male Cyrus, from the Greek “kyrios” meaning “lord”). Today, Kyra is most popular in the Netherlands.

All About the Baby Name – Kyra

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME KYRA

The number one personality is a leader - strong and competitive. They are willing to initiate action and take risks. One personalities work hard toward their endeavors and have the ability to apply their creative and innovative thinking skills with strong determination. They believe in their ability to succeed and are too stubborn to be hindered by obstacles. Ones meet obstacles head-on with such mental vigor and energy that you better step aside. They resent taking orders, so don't try telling them what to do either. This is an intensely active personality, but they are also known as starters rather than finishers. They have a propensity to become bored and will move quickly to the next project if not properly challenged.  They are the ones to think up and put into action new and brilliant ideas, but they are not the ones to stick around and manage them. This personality has an enthusiastic and pioneering spirit. They are distinctly original.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME KYRA

The name Kyra first appeared on the American female naming charts in 1969. For the first 20 years of her existence, Kyra floundered around at the bottom of the charts with barely detectable levels of usage. It wasn’t until 1988 that Kyra began to show some promise as more parents embraced this name for their baby daughters. The height of Kyra’s popularity came in the late-1990s up through 2007 when she often landed a spot on the Top 200 list of most favorite girl names. In the past couple of years, though, Kyra has been declining in favor. Keira is currently the most popular and similar variation of Kyra, but Kyra does well up against names like Kira and Kiara. The thing about Kyra is that no one seems quite sure how to pronounce it. One of the most well-known Kyras is Kyra Sedgwick, a popular actress from the TV drama-crime series “The Closer”. She pronounces her name KEER-a, but others use KIE-ra or KEE-ra. The name is easy to spell which saves some time in life, but it does create a fair amount of pronunciation confusion. Just something to think about when considering this “lady”-like name for your “little dark” baby.

Quick Facts

ON KYRA

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

401

PRONUNCIATION:

KIE-rə, KEE-rə, KEER-ə

SIMPLE MEANING:

Little dark one; Lady

Characteristics

OF KYRA

Independent

Individualistic

Ambitious

Strong-willed

Inventive

Successful

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Kyra

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME KYRA

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

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME KYRA

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Kyra


Popular Songs

ON KYRA

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


Famous People

NAMED KYRA

Kyra Sedgwick (actress)
Kyra Phillips (news anchor)
Kyra Sundance (dog trainer)
Kyra Vayne (opera singer)
Kyra Markham (artist)

Children of Famous People

NAMED KYRA

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

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME KYRA

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