UK boy's name
Kealan
An Irish masculine name meaning "great warrior" or "mighty".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Kealan is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Kealan popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3688, with 5 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1997, with 18 births.
This profile covers 286 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 28% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 378 living people in the UK are called Kealan. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Kealan ranked #3688 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 5 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1997, when 18 boys were registered as Kealan.
- • Kealan ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #433 in 2021.
- • About 378 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kealan as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3688
2024
Births in 2024
5
Latest year
Peak year
1997
18 births
Estimated living
378
2026
Meaning
What does Kealan mean?
The name Kealan is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "caol" meaning "slender" or "lean." It is believed to have originated in Ireland during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century.
The earliest known record of the name Kealan dates back to the 14th century, when it appeared in the Annals of Connacht, a medieval chronicle of Irish history. The name was particularly popular among the Irish clans of Connacht and Munster provinces.
One of the earliest notable figures to bear the name was Kealan O'Dugan, a celebrated Irish poet and historian who lived in the late 14th century. He was renowned for his work, the "Topographical Poem," which described the regions and territories of Ireland.
In the 16th century, Kealan O'Hissin was a prominent Irish scholar and translator. He is remembered for his translation of the "Annals of the Four Masters," a crucial historical source that documented the history of Ireland from the earliest times to the 17th century.
Another significant figure was Kealan O'Rourke, an Irish chieftain who lived in the 15th century. He was the Lord of West Brefny, a territory in what is now County Leitrim, Ireland, and played a pivotal role in the regional politics of his time.
In the 17th century, Kealan O'Shaughnessy was an Irish soldier and military leader who fought in the Irish Confederate Wars. He was a prominent figure in the defense of Limerick during the Siege of Limerick in 1691.
Kealan O'Reilly, born in 1846, was an Irish nationalist and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for County Cavan in the late 19th century. He was a staunch advocate for Irish home rule and played a significant role in the Irish nationalist movement of his time.
While the name Kealan has its roots in Irish history and culture, it has since spread globally and has been adopted by various cultures and communities around the world.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Kealan over time
The chart below shows babies named Kealan registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Kealan, the clearest high point is 1997. The latest England and Wales figure is 5 births in 2024, compared with 18 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kealan by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kealan was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #3564 | 25 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2525 | 87 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1549 | 119 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1067 | 55 | 4 |
Geography
Where Kealan is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kealan. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Kealan ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #433 in 2021.
Across the UK
Kealan in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#728 in 2023
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#433 in 2021
18 years of NISRA records, 92 total registered
Related
Names similar to Kealan
- Kieran 30,429
- Kyle 28,463
- Kai 24,432
- Kian 17,666
- Kayden 8,305
- Kevin 7,927
- Kane 7,149
- Kaiden 5,762
- Kieron 4,547
- Kacper 4,366
- Kye 4,012
- Kit 3,529
FAQ
Kealan: questions and answers
How popular is the name Kealan in the UK right now?
In 2024, Kealan was ranked #3688 for boys in England and Wales, with 5 births registered.
When was Kealan most popular?
The peak year on record was 1997, with 18 babies registered as Kealan in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Kealan?
An Irish masculine name meaning "great warrior" or "mighty".
How many people are called Kealan in the UK?
A total of 286 babies have been registered as Kealan across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland and 92 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Kealan most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Kealan ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #433 in 2021. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.