boys' name ★ peaked 2017

Killian

Meaning An anglicized spelling of Irish Cillian Gender Boy · 4% girls Rank 2025 #418 Trend ↓ Falling 18%

An anglicized spelling of Irish Cillian.

Rank 2025
#418
among boys · ↓48 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
785
named Killian · -12% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,218
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2017
1,528 babies
All-time total
16,834
#930 all-time among boys
First recorded
1915
in Social Security records

Killian popularity over time

16,834 babies have been named Killian since 1915, 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
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 5 5 1 – #4,120
1920s – 5 5 1 0% #4,648
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s 28 132 160 16 – #1,526
1990s 168 1,090 1,258 126 +686% #911
2000s 147 1,824 1,971 197 +57% #752
2010s 179 7,883 8,062 806 +309% #248
2020s (to 2025) 93 5,280 5,373 896 +11% #347

Where Killian 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 741 0.43 #432
2027 718 0.42 #440
2028 699 0.41 #448
2029 683 0.40 #457
2030 669 0.39 #463

Where Killian is most popular

Boys named Killian per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.507 per 1,000. Strongest in Alaska, West Virginia, and South Dakota.

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 Killian 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
Alaska 27 2.27 +347%
West Virginia 37 1.13 +123%
South Dakota 21 1.13 +123%
North Dakota 19 1.11 +119%
Idaho 39 0.953 +88%
New Hampshire 21 0.946 +86%
Oregon 70 0.922 +82%
New Mexico 29 0.880 +74%
Colorado 104 0.806 +59%
Missouri 111 0.801 +58%
Michigan 164 0.801 +58%
Vermont 5 0.796 +57%
Kansas 54 0.787 +55%
Nebraska 34 0.782 +54%
Massachusetts 107 0.778 +53%
Iowa 53 0.769 +52%
Oklahoma 67 0.757 +49%
Indiana 121 0.755 +49%
Kentucky 75 0.747 +47%
Ohio 198 0.747 +47%
Pennsylvania 196 0.738 +46%
Washington 119 0.727 +43%
Nevada 41 0.719 +42%
North Carolina 176 0.689 +36%
Wisconsin 81 0.684 +35%
South Carolina 69 0.668 +32%
Connecticut 45 0.665 +31%
Arizona 108 0.660 +30%
Tennessee 119 0.659 +30%
Virginia 120 0.632 +25%
Florida 292 0.617 +22%
Maryland 73 0.612 +21%
Delaware 9 0.594 +17%
New York 255 0.589 +16%
Utah 56 0.587 +16%
Arkansas 35 0.553 +9%
Minnesota 63 0.514 ≈ national
Illinois 125 0.489 ≈ national
Montana 8 0.454 -11%
Alabama 49 0.448 -12%
New Jersey 90 0.447 -12%
Georgia 109 0.430 -15%
Louisiana 43 0.420 -17%
Texas 311 0.353 -30%
Mississippi 19 0.334 -34%
Hawaii 5 0.322 -37%
California 290 0.317 -37%
Maine 6 0.309 -39%
District of Columbia – – –
Rhode Island – – –
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 Killian

Killian is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #418 in 2025 with 770 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1915, 16,834 American babies have been named Killian. Its peak came in 2017, when 1,528 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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 Killian stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Killian?

The median living Killian is about 8 years old; half are between 4 and 13. An estimated 17 thousand people named Killian are alive in the United States today.

median 8 020406080100

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

Killian 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 15 #7,333 770 #418
2024 12 #8,716 885 #370
2023 12 #8,742 884 #368
2022 20 #6,109 903 #364
2021 21 #5,857 939 #347
2020 13 #8,202 899 #352
2019 16 #7,195 1,089 #311
2018 21 #5,910 1,229 #287
2017 22 #5,751 1,506 #248
2016 19 #6,554 1,382 #264
2015 25 #5,387 976 #350
2014 16 #7,494 545 #511
2013 16 #7,584 294 #768
2012 11 #10,091 270 #819
2011 17 #7,283 299 #758
2010 16 #7,729 293 #766
2009 19 #6,947 304 #752
2008 16 #7,939 274 #800
2007 14 #8,800 255 #837
2006 12 #9,624 176 #1,036
2005 10 #10,552 162 #1,036
2004 15 #7,633 151 #1,066
2003 11 #9,389 117 #1,242
2002 13 #8,067 117 #1,199
2001 18 #6,197 129 #1,106
2000 19 #5,827 139 #1,043
1995 20 #4,935 135 #957
1990 10 #8,200 81 #1,221
1985 – – 9 #4,527
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – 5 #4,648
1915 – – 5 #4,120
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Killian?

The median living Killian is about 8 years old. Half of all living Killians are between 4 and 13 years old.

How many people named Killian are alive today?

An estimated 17 thousand people named Killian are alive in the United States, based on 16,834 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Killian mean?

An anglicized spelling of Irish Cillian.

How popular is the name Killian in 2025?

Killian ranked #418 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 770 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Killian?

16,834 babies have been named Killian in the United States since 1915, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Killian most popular?

Killian peaked in 2017, when 1,528 newborns received the name.

Is Killian a boy or girl name?

Killian is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 96% of babies with the name.

Is the name Killian rising or falling?

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

Will Killian become more popular?

Killian is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 669 boys named Killian in 2030, which would rank around #463. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Killian

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

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