Meaning and history
Ciarán is an Irish diminutive of Ciar, from an Old Irish word meaning "dark" or "black," giving the name the sense of "little dark one." It was borne by two important sixth-century saints: Ciarán of Saighir and Ciarán of Clonmacnoise, both founders of influential monasteries. Anglicized forms include Kieran and Kieron, and notable modern bearers include actor Ciarán Hinds and poet Ciaran Carson.
20062006: 63 births, rank #2,082
2007: 70 births, rank #1,995
2008: 79 births, rank #1,838
2009: 74 births, rank #1,925
2010: 62 births, rank #2,144
20112011: 78 births, rank #1,824
2012: 61 births, rank #2,172
2013: 81 births, rank #1,782
2014: 83 births, rank #1,794
2015: 74 births, rank #1,955
20162016: 67 births, rank #2,086
2017: 60 births, rank #2,217
2018: 61 births, rank #2,230
2019: 61 births, rank #2,265
2020: 69 births, rank #2,046
20212021: 71 births, rank #2,060
2022: 83 births, rank #1,892
2023: 82 births, rank #1,909
2024: 93 births, rank #1,767
20252025: 105 births, rank #1,609
In 2025, 105 babies were recorded with the name Ciarán, ranking #1,609 among boys.