Ciaran: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Ciaran is an Irish boy's name meaning “little dark one.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Irish spelling
- Ciarán
- Meaning
- Little dark one
- Gender
- Boy
- English forms
- Kieran, Kieron, Keiran
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 149 for boys (2025)
How do you pronounce Ciaran?
Ciaran is pronounced KEER-awn. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first. It can also be said KEER-in.
What does Ciaran mean?
Ciar “dark” and the diminutive -in it means “little dark one.” Popular for over 1500 years, at least 26 saints have borne the name. The most notable, St. Ciaran of Clonmacnoise (c. 530 AD), was the son of a carpenter who studied with St. Enda for seven years and went on to establish a monastery at Clonmacnoise, on the banks of the River Shannon in County Westmeath. It became a major spiritual and educational center and despite being plundered by the Vikings and the English, remained a major religious center until the 1550s.
How popular is Ciaran in Ireland?
In 2025, 35 baby boys in Ireland were named Ciarán, which made it No. 149 that year. Another 14 were registered as Ciaran or Ciaràn. That's down from No. 64 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 2000, when 286 baby boys were named Ciaran, No. 23 that year. The most babies got the name in 1982: 359. The records go back to 1964, when 124 baby boys were given the name.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 49 | No. 149 (Ciarán) |
| 2024 | 30 | No. 200 (Ciarán) |
| 2023 | 54 | No. 115 (Ciarán) |
| 2022 | 36 | No. 157 (Ciarán) |
| 2021 | 49 | No. 153 (Ciarán) |
| 2020 | 58 | No. 129 (Ciarán) |
| 2019 | 62 | No. 118 (Ciarán) |
| 2018 | 61 | No. 117 (Ciarán) |
| 2017 | 89 | No. 78 (Ciaran) |
| 2016 | 81 | No. 90 (Ciaran) |
| 2015 | 120 | No. 64 (Ciaran) |
| 2014 | 137 | No. 61 (Ciaran) |
| 2013 | 107 | No. 74 (Ciaran) |
| 2012 | 143 | No. 62 (Ciaran) |
| 2011 | 155 | No. 57 (Ciaran) |
| 2010 | 166 | No. 53 (Ciaran) |
| 2009 | 170 | No. 54 (Ciaran) |
| 2008 | 217 | No. 40 (Ciaran) |
| 2007 | 200 | No. 41 (Ciaran) |
| 2006 | 227 | No. 33 (Ciaran) |
| 2005 | 226 | No. 31 (Ciaran) |
| 2004 | 253 | No. 30 (Ciaran) |
| 2003 | 244 | No. 30 (Ciaran) |
| 2002 | 252 | No. 28 (Ciaran) |
| 2001 | 264 | No. 25 (Ciaran) |
| 2000 | 286 | No. 23 (Ciaran) |
| 1999 | 230 | No. 30 (Ciaran) |
| 1998 | 237 | No. 24 (Ciaran) |
| 1997 | 306 | No. 25 (Ciaran) |
| 1996 | 327 | No. 25 (Ciaran) |
| 1995 | 297 | No. 27 (Ciaran) |
| 1994 | 269 | No. 29 (Ciaran) |
| 1993 | 287 | No. 26 (Ciaran) |
| 1992 | 303 | No. 24 (Ciaran) |
| 1991 | 287 | No. 24 (Ciaran) |
| 1990 | 286 | No. 26 (Ciaran) |
| 1989 | 291 | No. 30 (Ciaran) |
| 1988 | 317 | No. 28 (Ciaran) |
| 1987 | 347 | No. 25 (Ciaran) |
| 1986 | 295 | No. 36 (Ciaran) |
| 1985 | 344 | No. 28 (Ciaran) |
| 1984 | 285 | No. 35 (Ciaran) |
| 1983 | 307 | No. 35 (Ciaran) |
| 1982 | 359 | No. 31 (Ciaran) |
| 1981 | 288 | No. 39 (Ciaran) |
| 1980 | 297 | No. 40 (Ciaran) |
| 1979 | 253 | No. 42 (Ciaran) |
| 1978 | 222 | No. 46 (Ciaran) |
| 1977 | 207 | No. 51 (Ciaran) |
| 1976 | 181 | No. 53 (Ciaran) |
| 1975 | 193 | No. 52 (Ciaran) |
| 1974 | 180 | No. 57 (Ciaran) |
| 1973 | 216 | No. 45 (Ciaran) |
| 1972 | 183 | No. 51 (Ciaran) |
| 1971 | 173 | No. 50 (Ciaran) |
| 1970 | 166 | No. 43 (Ciaran) |
| 1969 | 161 | No. 43 (Ciaran) |
| 1968 | 111 | No. 55 (Ciaran) |
| 1967 | 120 | No. 49 (Ciaran) |
| 1966 | 125 | No. 50 (Ciaran) |
| 1965 | 124 | No. 51 (Ciaran) |
| 1964 | 124 | No. 49 (Ciaran) |
Ciaran 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 Ciaran, letter by letter.
- CColl, hazel
- IIodhadh, yew
- AAilm, pine
- RRuis, elder
- AAilm, pine
- NNion, ash
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Ciaran
Questions about Ciaran
- How do you pronounce Ciaran?
- Ciaran is pronounced KEER-awn. Two syllables, stress on the first. There's a short video above where you can hear it said.
- What does Ciaran mean?
- Ciaran means “little dark one.”
- Is Ciaran a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Ciaran is a boy's name.
- How do you spell Ciaran in Irish?
- In Irish it's spelled Ciarán. That's the spelling most parents in Ireland now register, according to the Central Statistics Office.
- What is Ciaran in English?
- The English forms of Ciaran are Kieran, Kieron and Keiran.
- How popular is Ciaran in Ireland?
- In 2025, Ciarán was No. 149 for boys in Ireland, with 35 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 2000, at No. 23.