Unisex name ★ peaked 2025

Kieran

Meaning A unisex given name from Irish, an anglicized form of Ciarán Gender Unisex · 8% girls Rank 2025 #389 Trend ↑ Rising 31%

A unisex given name from Irish, an anglicized form of Ciarán.

Rank 2025
#389
among boys · ↑51 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
828
named Kieran · +14% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,091
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
828 babies
All-time total
19,218
#890 all-time among boys
First recorded
1918
in Social Security records

Kieran popularity over time

19,218 babies have been named Kieran since 1918, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 8 8 1 – #3,253
1920s – 38 38 4 +375% #3,122
1930s – 48 48 5 +26% #2,663
1940s 5 81 86 9 +79% #1,921
1950s 11 222 233 23 +171% #1,330
1960s 49 374 423 42 +82% #1,101
1970s 59 415 474 47 +12% #1,131
1980s 119 610 729 73 +54% #1,038
1990s 327 2,177 2,504 250 +243% #597
2000s 591 4,412 5,003 500 +100% #510
2010s 341 5,282 5,623 562 +12% #474
2020s (to 2025) 103 3,946 4,049 675 +20% #389

Where Kieran is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 855 0.50 #372
2027 890 0.52 #365
2028 920 0.54 #357
2029 946 0.55 #345
2030 969 0.57 #341

Where Kieran is most popular

Boys named Kieran per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.392 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Kieran born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
District of Columbia 14 0.948 +142%
Pennsylvania 238 0.896 +129%
Minnesota 108 0.880 +124%
Connecticut 59 0.872 +122%
Massachusetts 115 0.836 +113%
New Hampshire 18 0.811 +107%
Colorado 99 0.767 +96%
Idaho 31 0.757 +93%
New Jersey 150 0.745 +90%
Oregon 55 0.725 +85%
Washington 117 0.715 +82%
Virginia 133 0.701 +79%
New York 290 0.670 +71%
Maryland 77 0.646 +65%
Kansas 43 0.627 +60%
Wisconsin 73 0.616 +57%
Illinois 112 0.438 +12%
Ohio 115 0.434 +11%
Missouri 57 0.411 +5%
California 348 0.381 ≈ national
South Dakota 7 0.376 ≈ national
North Carolina 94 0.368 -6%
Michigan 73 0.356 -9%
Indiana 57 0.355 -9%
Kentucky 34 0.339 -14%
West Virginia 11 0.337 -14%
Arizona 55 0.336 -14%
Nevada 19 0.333 -15%
Tennessee 59 0.327 -17%
North Dakota 5 0.293 -25%
Iowa 20 0.290 -26%
Montana 5 0.284 -28%
Utah 26 0.272 -31%
Georgia 66 0.261 -34%
Florida 118 0.249 -36%
Louisiana 25 0.244 -38%
Alabama 26 0.238 -39%
Arkansas 13 0.205 -48%
Nebraska 8 0.184 -53%
Texas 161 0.183 -53%
Oklahoma 16 0.181 -54%
South Carolina 18 0.174 -56%
New Mexico 5 0.152 -61%
Alaska – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Kieran

Kieran is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #389 in 2025 with 817 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1918, 19,218 American babies have been named Kieran, about 92% boys and 8% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2025, when 828 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Kieran stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Kieran?

The median living Kieran is about 15 years old; half are between 7 and 24. An estimated 19 thousand people named Kieran are alive in the United States today.

median 15 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Kieran year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 11 #9,184 817 #389
2024 11 #9,259 716 #440
2023 21 #5,862 636 #477
2022 31 #4,531 621 #490
2021 8 #11,672 598 #493
2020 21 #5,758 558 #514
2019 25 #5,232 581 #493
2018 22 #5,696 579 #497
2017 34 #4,266 567 #512
2016 23 #5,718 540 #539
2015 29 #4,794 560 #512
2014 33 #4,409 483 #576
2013 35 #4,206 471 #558
2012 36 #4,177 470 #554
2011 51 #3,246 562 #474
2010 53 #3,144 469 #540
2009 63 #2,814 528 #510
2008 67 #2,735 502 #533
2007 77 #2,447 450 #571
2006 54 #3,119 445 #563
2005 56 #2,920 408 #571
2004 56 #2,875 425 #544
2003 52 #2,938 429 #538
2002 57 #2,689 399 #556
2001 55 #2,724 410 #534
2000 54 #2,727 416 #528
1995 32 #3,456 265 #638
1990 12 #7,100 109 #1,018
1985 14 #5,195 65 #1,162
1980 9 #7,072 43 #1,457
1975 – – 41 #1,370
1970 6 #7,494 44 #1,256
1965 10 #4,343 46 #1,101
1960 6 #6,022 37 #1,308
1955 – – 26 #1,523
1950 – – 18 #1,784
1945 – – 5 #3,558
1940 – – 7 #3,010
1935 – – 5 #3,926
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Kieran

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Kieran Culkin Kieran Culkin American actor (born 1982) Contemporary
  2. 2 Kieran Dowell Kieran Dowell English footballer (born 1997) Contemporary
  3. 3 Kieran Richardson Kieran Richardson English footballer (born 1984) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Kieran, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Kieran?

The median living Kieran is about 15 years old. Half of all living Kierans are between 7 and 24 years old.

How many people named Kieran are alive today?

An estimated 19 thousand people named Kieran are alive in the United States, based on 19,218 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Kieran mean?

A unisex given name from Irish, an anglicized form of Ciarán.

How popular is the name Kieran in 2025?

Kieran ranked #389 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 817 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kieran?

19,218 babies have been named Kieran in the United States since 1918, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kieran most popular?

Kieran peaked in 2025, when 828 newborns received the name.

Is Kieran a boy or girl name?

Kieran is used for both: about 8% of babies named Kieran have been girls and 92% boys.

Is the name Kieran rising or falling?

Kieran is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Kieran become more popular?

Kieran is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 969 boys named Kieran in 2030, which would rank around #341. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Kieran?

Well-known people named Kieran include Kieran Culkin (actor), Kieran Dowell (soccer player), Kieran Richardson (soccer player).

Names like Kieran

Names that sound and feel close to Kieran: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Kieran with similar names → More names starting with K →