Given name
Keira
“little dark-haired one”·“having dark features; the little dark one”
Keira is a variant of Kiera. In Irish use, Kiera carries the interpretation “little dark-haired one.” In English use, Keira is a feminine form of Kieran. One interpretation is “having dark features; the little dark one.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Keira is a variant of Kiera. In Irish use, Kiera carries the interpretation “little dark-haired one.” In English use, Keira is a feminine form of Kieran. One interpretation is “having dark features; the little dark one.”
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Keira is a feminine form of Kieran.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1962. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Keira through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 33,843
- 7 boys · 33,836 girls
- Most popular year
- 2006
- 3,022 babies
- 2025
- 469
- #622 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −39%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 469 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 622 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 38.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 3,022 in 2006. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (95). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 28,424 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.
Keira’s family of names
In English usage, Keira is a feminine form of Kieran. In English usage, Keira has a related form in Kiara. In English usage, Keira has a related form in Kiara.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
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.
People named Keira
- Keira KnightleyBritish actress (born 1985)
- Keira WalshEnglish footballer (born 1997)
- Keira HewatchNigerian actress, singer and songwriterborn 1985
- Keira RamshawEnglish footballer (born 1994)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Keira, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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