NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Kyran

A baby boy's name of Irish origin meaning "Little Dark One".

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.

Kyran is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Kyran popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #924, with 34 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2007, with 281 births.

This profile covers 2,513 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 12% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 2,699 living people in the UK are called Kyran. 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

  • Kyran ranked #924 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 34 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2007, when 281 boys were registered as Kyran.
  • Kyran ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #392 in 2020.
  • About 2,699 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kyran as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#924

2024

Births in 2024

34

Latest year

Peak year

2007

281 births

Estimated living

2,699

2026

Meaning

What does Kyran mean?

The name Kyran is a variant spelling of the Irish name Ciaran, which originated from the Gaelic word "ciar" meaning "dark" or "black." It is believed to have been derived from the word "ciar-dhath," which means "dark-featured" or "dark-complexioned." The name has been in use since ancient times in Ireland and is associated with several important figures in Irish history and mythology.

One of the earliest known references to the name Kyran can be found in the ancient Irish text "The Martyrology of Oengus the Culdee," which dates back to the 9th century. This text mentions St. Ciaran of Saighir, who was born in the late 5th century and is considered one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. He is renowned for founding the monastic settlement of Seir-Kieran (Saighir) in County Offaly and is revered as the patron saint of that region.

Another notable figure in Irish history who bore the name Kyran was Ciaran of Clonmacnoise, also known as St. Ciaran the Younger. He was born in 516 AD and is credited with establishing the famous monastery of Clonmacnoise in County Offaly, which became a significant center of learning and spirituality during the Middle Ages. St. Ciaran of Clonmacnoise is celebrated on September 9th in the Catholic Church.

In the 6th century, there was a Scottish prince named Ciaran or Kyran, who is said to have been the son of the King of Ulster. He is mentioned in several Scottish and Irish genealogies, although little is known about his life and legacy.

During the Middle Ages, the name Kyran was also borne by Ciaran, an Irish scholar and poet who lived in the 12th century. He is credited with writing a famous poem known as "The Lament of the Old Woman of Beare," which laments the decline of Irish culture and the Norman invasion of Ireland.

In more recent times, one of the most notable individuals named Kyran was Kyran Fitzgerald, an Irish revolutionary and politician who lived from 1858 to 1950. He was a prominent figure in the Irish independence movement and served as a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Sinn Féin.

The name Kyran has remained popular in Ireland and among the Irish diaspora around the world, and it continues to be a cherished part of Irish cultural heritage and tradition.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Kyran over time

The chart below shows babies named Kyran 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 Kyran, the clearest high point is 2007. The latest England and Wales figure is 34 births in 2024, compared with 281 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Kyran
070141211281199620102024

Decades

Kyran by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kyran 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 #777 217 5
2010s #500 850 10
2000s #329 1,098 10
1990s #303 348 4

Geography

Where Kyran is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kyran. 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.

Kyran ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #392 in 2020.

Scotland
6
Northern Ireland
3

Across the UK

Kyran in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#478 in 2024

27 years of NRS records, 184 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#392 in 2020

7 years of NISRA records, 23 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Kyran

  • Kyran Bracken

    rugby union player

    English rugby union footballer

    1971-

Related

Names similar to Kyran

FAQ

Kyran: questions and answers

How popular is the name Kyran in the UK right now?

In 2024, Kyran was ranked #924 for boys in England and Wales, with 34 births registered.

When was Kyran most popular?

The peak year on record was 2007, with 281 babies registered as Kyran in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Kyran?

A baby boy's name of Irish origin meaning "Little Dark One".

How many people are called Kyran in the UK?

A total of 2,513 babies have been registered as Kyran across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 184 more in Scotland and 23 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Kyran most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Kyran ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #392 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.