UK boy's name
Keiran
Celtic name derived from "Cer" meaning "dark, black-haired".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Keiran is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Keiran popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3112, with 6 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 224 births.
This profile covers 2,301 England and Wales registrations across 27 recorded years from 1996 to 2023. 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 3% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 3,188 living people in the UK are called Keiran. 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 2024 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Keiran ranked #3112 for boys in England and Wales in 2023, with 6 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 224 boys were registered as Keiran.
- • Keiran ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #711 in 2020.
- • About 3,188 living people in the UK are estimated to have Keiran as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3112
2023
Births in 2023
6
Latest year
Peak year
1996
224 births
Estimated living
3,188
2026
Meaning
What does Keiran mean?
The name Keiran is an anglicized variant of the Irish name Ciarán, which means "little dark one" or "little tanned one". The name has its origins in the Gaelic language and can be traced back to the 5th century AD in Ireland.
Ciarán was a popular name among Irish saints and scholars during the early medieval period. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Saint Ciarán of Saigir, who lived in the 5th century AD and is considered one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. He founded the monastery of Saighir in County Offaly and is the patron saint of the Diocese of Ossory.
Another notable figure was Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise, who lived in the 6th century AD and founded the famous monastery of Clonmacnoise in County Offaly. This monastery became a significant center of learning and religion in Ireland and played a crucial role in preserving Irish culture and literature during the medieval period.
In the 9th century, an Irish monk named Ciarán of Dairinis is recorded as having traveled to France and founded a monastery in the region of Picardy. This helped to spread the name beyond Ireland and into continental Europe.
Throughout medieval times, the name Ciarán remained popular among Irish families, particularly in the provinces of Leinster and Munster. Famous bearers of the name included Ciarán Ó Maoilchonaire, a 12th-century Irish poet and historian, and Ciarán Mac Muireadhaigh, a 14th-century Irish chieftain and member of the O'Conor dynasty of Connacht.
In the 16th century, the name Ciarán began to be anglicized as Keiran or Kieran, reflecting the changing linguistic and cultural influences in Ireland. One notable bearer of the anglicized form was Kieran MacCarthy, a 17th-century Irish nobleman and military leader who fought against the English during the Irish Confederate Wars.
As the name spread and evolved, it also found its way into other cultures and languages. For example, in Scotland, the name Keiran is sometimes used as a variant of the Gaelic name Ciaràn, which has a similar meaning and origin.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Keiran over time
The chart below shows babies named Keiran registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Keiran, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 6 births in 2023, compared with 224 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Keiran by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Keiran 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 | #3916 | 13 | 3 |
| 2010s | #1646 | 303 | 10 |
| 2000s | #285 | 1,218 | 10 |
| 1990s | #175 | 767 | 4 |
Geography
Where Keiran is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Keiran. 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.
Keiran ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #711 in 2020.
Across the UK
Keiran in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#711 in 2020
39 years of NRS records, 921 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Keiran
-
Keiran Murtagh
association football player
English footballer
1988-
-
Keiran Goddard
writer; poet; literary critic; novelist
British novelist, poet and critic
Related
Names similar to Keiran
- 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
Keiran: questions and answers
How popular is the name Keiran in the UK right now?
In 2023, Keiran was ranked #3112 for boys in England and Wales, with 6 births registered.
When was Keiran most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 224 babies registered as Keiran in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Keiran?
Celtic name derived from "Cer" meaning "dark, black-haired".
How many people are called Keiran in the UK?
A total of 2,301 babies have been registered as Keiran across the 27 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 921 more in Scotland.
Where is Keiran most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Keiran ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #711 in 2020. 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.