Given name & surname
Keiran
“having dark features; the little dark one”
Keiran is a variant of Kieran. One interpretation is “having dark features; the little dark one.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Keiran is a variant of Kieran. One interpretation is “having dark features; the little dark one.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Keiran comes from Irish, and ultimately from Irish.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1989. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Keiran through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,186
- 1,043 boys · 143 girls
- Most popular year
- 2011
- 72 babies
- 2025
- 16
- #5,727 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −44%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 100% boys.
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 16 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 5,727 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 44.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 63 in 2011. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,061 as a first name in 2020; 131 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
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.
People named Keiran
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Keiran, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Cowan
“from the hollow near the hill; one of twins”
>99% boys
Corgan
Corgan is a surname from Irish.
>99% boys
Keagan
“small and fiery woman” · “a small and fiery man”
80% boys · 20% girls
Eoghan
“the little swift one”
>99% boys
Keegan
“small and fiery woman” · “a small and fiery man”
90% boys · 10% girls
Kaelan
“a mighty warrior”
85% boys · 15% girls
Keveen
Keveen is a masculine given name from Old Irish. It is used in Manx.
>99% boys
Colgan
“descendant of Colgán”
>99% boys