Kilian

Kilian: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“little church; or strife”
Origin
Irish
Say it
KIL-ee-un · 3 syllables
Used for
Boys

Kilian is a continental form of the Irish name Cillian. The original meaning is uncertain; associations include Latin cella 'church' and an Old Irish element possibly meaning 'strife.'

How popular is Kilian?

202463.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Kilian in 2024209

2024 rank#1,051 boys

Peak year2023

Total US babies since 18802,539

Kilian is rising: use over the last five years is 3.5× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Kilian

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Kylianchurch, monastic cell · Germanic
  • Liamresolute protector · Irish
  • Aidenlittle fire · Irish
  • Nolandescendant of Nuallán · Irish
  • Ryanlittle king · Irish
  • Declanuncertain, possibly full of goodness · Irish
  • Connorlover of hounds · Irish
  • Kevinhandsome, gentle, kind · Irish

Kilian questions

What does the name Kilian mean?

Kilian means "little church; or strife". It comes from Irish. Kilian is a continental form of the Irish name Cillian. The original meaning is uncertain; associations include Latin cella 'church' and an Old Irish element possibly meaning 'strife.'

Is Kilian a boy or girl name?

Kilian is mainly a boy's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Kilian?

209 US babies were named Kilian in 2024. Its peak year was 2023.

How do you pronounce Kilian?

Kilian is usually pronounced KIL-ee-un.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.