Ciara: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Ciara is an Irish girl's name meaning “dark.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Meaning
- Dark
- Gender
- Girl
- English forms
- Keera, Keira, Kira
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 106 for girls (2025)
How do you pronounce Ciara?
Ciara is pronounced KEE-ra. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first.
What does Ciara mean?
The feminine form of Ciaran, from the Irish ciar meaning “dark” and implies “dark hair and brown eyes.” St. Ciara was a distinguished seventh-century figure who established a monastery at Kilkeary in County Tipperary. It was the fourth most popular baby girl name in Ireland in 2003.
How popular is Ciara in Ireland?
In 2025, 44 baby girls in Ireland were named Ciara, which made it No. 106 that year. That's down from No. 29 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 1998, when 539 baby girls were named Ciara, No. 2 that year. The most babies got the name in 1997: 624. The records go back to 1964, when 26 baby girls were given the name.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 44 | No. 106 (Ciara) |
| 2024 | 53 | No. 91 (Ciara) |
| 2023 | 53 | No. 95 (Ciara) |
| 2022 | 75 | No. 74 (Ciara) |
| 2021 | 94 | No. 65 (Ciara) |
| 2020 | 107 | No. 48 (Ciara) |
| 2019 | 126 | No. 49 (Ciara) |
| 2018 | 126 | No. 43 (Ciara) |
| 2017 | 139 | No. 41 (Ciara) |
| 2016 | 158 | No. 39 (Ciara) |
| 2015 | 205 | No. 29 (Ciara) |
| 2014 | 198 | No. 28 (Ciara) |
| 2013 | 214 | No. 29 (Ciara) |
| 2012 | 227 | No. 32 (Ciara) |
| 2011 | 284 | No. 26 (Ciara) |
| 2010 | 364 | No. 17 (Ciara) |
| 2009 | 337 | No. 19 (Ciara) |
| 2008 | 400 | No. 14 (Ciara) |
| 2007 | 410 | No. 12 (Ciara) |
| 2006 | 408 | No. 10 (Ciara) |
| 2005 | 484 | No. 6 (Ciara) |
| 2004 | 500 | No. 6 (Ciara) |
| 2003 | 535 | No. 4 (Ciara) |
| 2002 | 577 | No. 3 (Ciara) |
| 2001 | 552 | No. 5 (Ciara) |
| 2000 | 608 | No. 3 (Ciara) |
| 1999 | 585 | No. 4 (Ciara) |
| 1998 | 539 | No. 2 (Ciara) |
| 1997 | 624 | No. 3 (Ciara) |
| 1996 | 596 | No. 4 (Ciara) |
| 1995 | 572 | No. 6 (Ciara) |
| 1994 | 559 | No. 5 (Ciara) |
| 1993 | 532 | No. 7 (Ciara) |
| 1992 | 570 | No. 4 (Ciara) |
| 1991 | 556 | No. 5 (Ciara) |
| 1990 | 596 | No. 5 (Ciara) |
| 1989 | 547 | No. 4 (Ciara) |
| 1988 | 564 | No. 5 (Ciara) |
| 1987 | 556 | No. 6 (Ciara) |
| 1986 | 570 | No. 6 (Ciara) |
| 1985 | 540 | No. 8 (Ciara) |
| 1984 | 438 | No. 13 (Ciara) |
| 1983 | 406 | No. 18 (Ciara) |
| 1982 | 391 | No. 19 (Ciara) |
| 1981 | 363 | No. 22 (Ciara) |
| 1980 | 352 | No. 25 (Ciara) |
| 1979 | 289 | No. 32 (Ciara) |
| 1978 | 249 | No. 38 (Ciara) |
| 1977 | 222 | No. 40 (Ciara) |
| 1976 | 211 | No. 41 (Ciara) |
| 1975 | 181 | No. 49 (Ciara) |
| 1974 | 185 | No. 47 (Ciara) |
| 1973 | 165 | No. 56 (Ciara) |
| 1972 | 144 | No. 59 (Ciara) |
| 1971 | 139 | No. 63 (Ciara) |
| 1970 | 105 | No. 79 (Ciara) |
| 1969 | 111 | No. 68 (Ciara) |
| 1968 | 72 | No. 95 (Ciara) |
| 1967 | 41 | No. 135 (Ciara) |
| 1966 | 57 | No. 108 (Ciara) |
| 1965 | 35 | No. 139 (Ciara) |
| 1964 | 26 | No. 146 (Ciara) |
Ciara in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Ciara, letter by letter.
- CColl, hazel
- IIodhadh, yew
- AAilm, pine
- RRuis, elder
- AAilm, pine
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Ciara
Questions about Ciara
- How do you pronounce Ciara?
- Ciara is pronounced KEE-ra. Two syllables, stress on the first. There's a short video above where you can hear it said.
- What does Ciara mean?
- Ciara means “dark.”
- Is Ciara a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Ciara is a girl's name.
- What is Ciara in English?
- The English forms of Ciara are Keera, Keira and Kira.
- How popular is Ciara in Ireland?
- In 2025, Ciara was No. 106 for girls in Ireland, with 44 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 1998, at No. 2.