Given name & surname
Ciaran
“a black-haired man; having dark features”
Ciaran is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “a black-haired man; having dark features.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “a black-haired man; having dark features.”
Where it comes from
Ciaran is a variant of Ciara. An origin associated with Ciara is Irish.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1959. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ciaran through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,233
- 2,198 boys · 35 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 110 babies
- 2025
- 110
- #1,609 for boys · #15,421 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +38%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 105 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,609 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 36.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 5 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Massachusetts and New York shared the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (10 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,229 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Ciaran’s family of names
In English usage, Ciaran has a feminine form in Ciara. In English usage, Ciaran has a related form in Kieran. Ciaran has a related form in Ciara.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 13
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Kieranvariant · English
- Ciaravariant · English
- Kieronvariant · English
- Ceronvariant
- Cerynvariant
- Cerinvariant
- Cerunvariant
- Ceranvariant
Show 5 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Ciaran
- Ciaran Clarkassociation football playerborn 1989
- Ciaran CarsonIrish poet (1948-2019)
- Ciaran MaddenBritish actressborn 1947
- Ciarán O'LearyIrish poker playerborn 1973
- Ciarán FoyIrish film director and screenwriterborn 1979
- Ciaran DonnellyEnglish footballer (born 1984)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ciaran, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Lachlan
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96% boys · 4% girls