Killian

Killian: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“little church”
Origin
Irish
Say it
KIL-ee-ən · 3 syllables
Used for
Boys (96% of all uses)

Anglicized form of the Irish name Cillian. It is traditionally connected with ceall meaning 'church', though some details of the original formation are debated.

How popular is Killian?

2024269 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 Killian in 2024896

2024 rank#369 boys

Peak year2017

Total US babies since 188016,046

Killian is rising: use over the last five years is 2.8× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Killian

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • 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
  • Braydendescendant of Bradán · Irish

Killian questions

What does the name Killian mean?

Killian means "little church". It comes from Irish. Anglicized form of the Irish name Cillian. It is traditionally connected with ceall meaning 'church', though some details of the original formation are debated.

Is Killian a boy or girl name?

Killian is mainly a boy's name in US records (96% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Killian?

896 US babies were named Killian in 2024. Its peak year was 2017.

How do you pronounce Killian?

Killian is usually pronounced KIL-ee-ən.

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.