Given name
Kilyan
“a warrior woman; of the church”·“one who is small and fierce”
Kilyan is a variant of Killian. Interpretations include “a warrior woman; of the church” (Irish) and “one who is small and fierce”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Kilyan is a variant of Killian. Interpretations include “a warrior woman; of the church” (Irish) and “one who is small and fierce”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2015. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kilyan through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 99
- 99 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2024
- 22 babies
- 2025
- 12
- #7,018 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +148%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 12 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 7,018 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Similar names
If you love Kilyan, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.