UK girl's name
Kira
A Japanese name meaning "beam of light".
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.
Kira is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Kira popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #510, with 77 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2000, with 337 births.
This profile covers 4,904 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 23% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 5,245 living people in the UK are called Kira. 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
- • Kira ranked #510 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 77 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2000, when 337 girls were registered as Kira.
- • Kira ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #263 in 2019.
- • About 5,245 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kira as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#510
2024
Births in 2024
77
Latest year
Peak year
2000
337 births
Estimated living
5,245
2026
Meaning
What does Kira mean?
The name Kira is of Slavic origin, derived from the Greek name Kyrios, meaning "lord" or "master." It is a unisex name that has been in use since ancient times.
In Russian culture, Kira is a diminutive form of the name Kyrill, which is the Russian version of the Greek name Kyrillos. The name gained popularity in Russia during the Byzantine era, when the Cyrillic alphabet was introduced.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Kira can be found in the Old Church Slavonic language, which was used in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The name appears in several religious texts from the 9th and 10th centuries.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the name Kira. One of the earliest was Kira Georgievna (1909-1967), a Russian-born prima ballerina who danced with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow.
Another famous Kira was Kira Muratova (1934-2018), a Ukrainian film director and screenwriter known for her avant-garde and unconventional style. Her films, such as "Brief Encounters" (1967) and "The Asthenic Syndrome" (1989), explored themes of alienation and social critique.
In the world of literature, Kira Navatskaya (1939-1991) was a prominent Soviet poet and translator. She was best known for her translations of works by Robert Frost and other American poets into Russian.
Kira Plastinina (born 1992) is a Russian fashion designer and entrepreneur who founded the Kira Plastinina fashion brand at the age of 16. Her brand became popular among young consumers in Russia and expanded to other countries.
Kira Yukiko Muratova (born 1980) is a Japanese voice actress known for her work in anime series such as "Naruto" and "Bleach." She has lent her voice to various characters in Japanese animation and video games.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have carried the name Kira, highlighting its enduring presence across various cultures and fields.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Kira over time
The chart below shows babies named Kira 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 Kira, the clearest high point is 2000. The latest England and Wales figure is 77 births in 2024, compared with 337 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kira by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kira 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 | #487 | 416 | 5 |
| 2010s | #461 | 970 | 10 |
| 2000s | #215 | 2,427 | 10 |
| 1990s | #171 | 1,091 | 4 |
Geography
Where Kira is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kira. 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.
Kira ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #263 in 2019.
Across the UK
Kira in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#749 in 2023
33 years of NRS records, 352 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#263 in 2019
6 years of NISRA records, 21 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Kira
-
Kira Malou
actor; dancer
British actress and dancer
1995-
-
Kira Ruiz
basketball player
Gibraltarian basketball player (born 1987)
1987-
-
Kira Geil
ice dancer
Austrian ice dancer
1985-
-
Kira Cochrane
journalist
British journalist
1977-
Related
Names similar to Kira
- 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
Kira: questions and answers
How popular is the name Kira in the UK right now?
In 2024, Kira was ranked #510 for girls in England and Wales, with 77 births registered.
When was Kira most popular?
The peak year on record was 2000, with 337 babies registered as Kira in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Kira?
A Japanese name meaning "beam of light".
How many people are called Kira in the UK?
A total of 4,904 babies have been registered as Kira across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 352 more in Scotland and 21 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Kira most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Kira ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #263 in 2019. 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.