UK girl's name
Keara
A Gaelic name meaning "little dark one" or "little dark girl".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2016. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Keara is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Keara popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2016 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5785, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2004, with 17 births.
This profile covers 155 England and Wales registrations across 18 recorded years from 1996 to 2016. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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 18% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 160 living people in the UK are called Keara. 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 2017 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Keara ranked #5785 for girls in England and Wales in 2016, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2004, when 17 girls were registered as Keara.
- • Keara ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #793 in 2008.
- • About 160 living people in the UK are estimated to have Keara as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5785
2016
Births in 2016
3
Latest year
Peak year
2004
17 births
Estimated living
160
2026
Meaning
What does Keara mean?
The name Keara is of Irish origin and is derived from the Gaelic word "ciar," which means "dark" or "black-haired." This name has been used in Ireland for centuries, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the Middle Ages.
In ancient Irish mythology, there are references to characters with names similar to Keara, such as Ciara, which was the name of a legendary Irish warrior princess. However, it is unclear if these names are directly related to the modern spelling of Keara.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Keara can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The Annals mention a woman named Keara who lived in the 12th century and was the daughter of a prominent Irish chieftain.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Keara. One of the most famous was Keara O'Connor (1140-1198), an Irish noblewoman and heiress who played a significant role in the political affairs of her time. Another notable Keara was Keara O'Malley (1530-1603), a legendary Irish pirate queen who commanded a fleet of ships and was known for her bravery and defiance of English rule.
In the 16th century, there was a Keara Fitzgerald (1550-1610), who was a prominent Irish poet and songwriter. Her works were widely celebrated and helped preserve the Irish language and culture during a period of English colonization.
Moving forward in time, Keara O'Driscoll (1780-1845) was an Irish novelist and playwright who wrote several popular works that explored themes of love, tragedy, and the struggles of the Irish people under British rule.
Finally, one of the more recent notable individuals named Keara was Keara Deane (1905-1988), an Irish actress and singer who performed in numerous stage productions and films throughout her career.
While the name Keara has deep roots in Irish history and culture, it has also gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries, where it is often used as a feminine given name.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Keara over time
The chart below shows babies named Keara registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2016. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Keara, the clearest high point is 2004. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2016, compared with 17 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Keara by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Keara 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #4469 | 24 | 5 |
| 2000s | #1977 | 103 | 9 |
| 1990s | #2181 | 28 | 4 |
Geography
Where Keara is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Keara. 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.
Keara ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #793 in 2008.
Across the UK
Keara in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#793 in 2008
2 years of NRS records, 6 total registered
Related
Names similar to Keara
- Katie 53,185
- Keira 14,411
- Katherine 11,323
- Kayleigh 10,677
- Kate 10,276
- Kelsey 7,224
- Kiera 7,218
- Kayla 6,541
- Kirsty 6,384
- Khadija 5,948
- Kimberley 5,189
- Kaitlyn 5,137
FAQ
Keara: questions and answers
How popular is the name Keara in the UK right now?
In 2016, Keara was ranked #5785 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Keara most popular?
The peak year on record was 2004, with 17 babies registered as Keara in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Keara?
A Gaelic name meaning "little dark one" or "little dark girl".
How many people are called Keara in the UK?
A total of 155 babies have been registered as Keara across the 18 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 6 more in Scotland.
Where is Keara most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Keara ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #793 in 2008. 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.