Unisex name ★ peaked 2008

Kiran

Meaning ray of light Gender Unisex · 37% girls Rank 2025 #1,272 Trend ↑ Rising 45%

From Sanskrit किरण (kiraṇa, “ray of light”).

Rank 2025
#1,272
among boys · ↑77 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
172
named Kiran · +13% vs 2024
How common
1 in 11,020
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2008
198 babies
All-time total
5,041
#2,443 all-time among boys
First recorded
1966
in Social Security records

Kiran popularity over time

5,041 babies have been named Kiran since 1966, 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
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s 15 – 15 2 – –
1970s 116 87 203 20 +1253% #2,764
1980s 249 139 388 39 +91% #2,773
1990s 410 310 720 72 +86% #1,716
2000s 682 844 1,526 153 +112% #1,419
2010s 332 1,053 1,385 139 -9% #1,392
2020s (to 2025) 72 732 804 134 -3% #1,272

Where Kiran 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 165 0.10 outside top 500
2027 174 0.10 outside top 500
2028 182 0.11 outside top 500
2029 189 0.11 outside top 500
2030 195 0.11 outside top 500

Where Kiran is most popular

Boys named Kiran per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.073 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, Washington, and Massachusetts.

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 Kiran 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 7 0.474 +548%
Washington 36 0.220 +201%
Massachusetts 22 0.160 +119%
New York 64 0.148 +102%
California 112 0.123 +67%
Pennsylvania 23 0.087 +18%
Florida 29 0.061 -16%
Texas 51 0.058 -21%
Georgia 14 0.055 -24%
North Carolina 14 0.055 -25%
Ohio 14 0.053 -28%
New Jersey 8 0.040 -46%
Arizona 5 0.031 -58%
Illinois 5 0.020 -73%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
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 Kiran

Kiran is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,272 in 2025 with 155 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1966, 5,041 American babies have been named Kiran, about 63% boys and 37% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2008, when 198 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

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

How old are people named Kiran?

The median living Kiran is about 17 years old; half are between 9 and 26. An estimated 5,000 people named Kiran are alive in the United States today.

median 17 020406080100

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

Kiran 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 17 #6,697 155 #1,272
2024 10 #9,927 142 #1,349
2023 11 #9,321 109 #1,601
2022 10 #10,076 108 #1,617
2021 12 #8,742 118 #1,509
2020 12 #8,694 100 #1,616
2019 17 #6,891 93 #1,706
2018 26 #5,084 98 #1,653
2017 24 #5,452 99 #1,614
2016 33 #4,395 105 #1,569
2015 32 #4,451 124 #1,392
2014 38 #3,965 97 #1,614
2013 37 #4,047 114 #1,452
2012 42 #3,758 119 #1,403
2011 44 #3,579 102 #1,555
2010 39 #3,921 102 #1,561
2009 60 #2,913 116 #1,449
2008 79 #2,428 119 #1,419
2007 76 #2,471 88 #1,715
2006 73 #2,526 90 #1,612
2005 71 #2,468 87 #1,591
2004 67 #2,516 87 #1,538
2003 64 #2,540 81 #1,574
2002 77 #2,167 71 #1,672
2001 58 #2,617 53 #2,019
2000 57 #2,618 52 #1,984
1995 43 #2,820 22 #3,151
1990 27 #3,850 11 #4,858
1985 19 #4,211 13 #3,522
1980 22 #3,673 17 #2,795
1975 23 #3,101 10 #3,556
1970 9 #5,597 8 #3,687
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Kiran

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

  1. 1 Kiran Rao Kiran Rao Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer (born 1973) Contemporary
  2. 2 Kiran Bedi Kiran Bedi First female Indian Police Service Officer (born 1949) first IPS Contemporary
  3. 3 Kiran Desai Kiran Desai Indian author (born 1971) Contemporary
  4. 4 Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Indian entrepreneur (born 1953) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Kiran?

The median living Kiran is about 17 years old. Half of all living Kirans are between 9 and 26 years old.

How many people named Kiran are alive today?

An estimated 5,000 people named Kiran are alive in the United States, based on 5,041 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Kiran mean?

From Sanskrit किरण (kiraṇa, “ray of light”).

How popular is the name Kiran in 2025?

Kiran ranked #1,272 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 155 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kiran?

5,041 babies have been named Kiran in the United States since 1966, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kiran most popular?

Kiran peaked in 2008, when 198 newborns received the name.

Is Kiran a boy or girl name?

Kiran is used for both: about 37% of babies named Kiran have been girls and 63% boys.

Is the name Kiran rising or falling?

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

Will Kiran become more popular?

Kiran is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 195 boys named Kiran in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Kiran?

Well-known people named Kiran include Kiran Rao (film director), Kiran Bedi (politician), Kiran Desai (writer).

Names like Kiran

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

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