Given name & surname · also Irish
Killian
“a warrior woman; of the church”·“one who is small and fierce”
Killian is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “a warrior woman; of the church” (Irish) and “one who is small and fierce”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original IrishCillian
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “a warrior woman; of the church” (Irish) and “one who is small and fierce”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Irish.
How it developed
In Irish use, Killian is used as a form of Gaelic.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1915. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Killian through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 16,834
- 16,219 boys · 615 girls
- Most popular year
- 2017
- 1,528 babies
- 2025
- 785
- #418 for boys · #7,333 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −28%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 98% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 770 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 418 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 28.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 1,506 in 2017. It also appeared in 15 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (58). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 10,658 as a first name in 2020; 11,577 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.
Killian’s family of names
In English usage, Killian has a related form in Kilian. Killian has a related form in Kilian. Killian is an English adaptation of Franconia.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Kylianvariant · French
- Kilianvariant · English
- Kyllianvariant
- Kilyanvariant
- Killyanvariant
- Kileanvariant
- Killeanvariant
- Killiannlikely variant
Show 4 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.
People named Killian
- Killian HayesFrench-American basketball player (born 2001)
- Killian ScottIrish actorborn 1985
- Killian OvermeireBelgian footballerborn 1985
- Killian PeierSwiss ski jumperborn 1995
- Killian TillieFrench basketball player (born 1998)
- Killian PhillipsIrish association football playerborn 2002
- Kilian VirviescasColombian footballerborn 1980
- Killian TixerontFrench rugby union playerborn 2002
- Killian SansonFrench association football playerborn 1997
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Killian, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kieran
“having dark features; the little dark one”
97% boys · 3% girls
Cormac
“a charioteer”
>99% boys
Finn
“white, fair” · “one who is cool”
99% boys · 1% girls
Declan
In Irish use, Declan is used as a form of Gaelic.
99% boys · 1% girls
Aidan
“one who is fiery; little fire” · “a fiery young man”
99% boys · 1% girls
Gareth
“one who is gentle”
>99% boys
Colmán
“dove”
>99% boys
Angus
“one force; one strength; one choice”
>99% boys