Killian

“Variant of Cillian — Irish, possibly meaning strife, or from church/monastery” — Irish origin

Boy's name · #418 in the US (2025) · 2020s

Killian first appeared in 1915, vanished from the records entirely for 61 years, and since returning in 1982 has climbed back to #418. About 16,000 boys have carried it in all. Together with its spelling variant Kilian (#1167), Killian would rank around #345 with about 950 births last year — the newborns split about 81/19 between Killian and Kilian.

Around the world: about 1 in 620 boys in Ireland (2025) · about 1 in 690 boys in N. Ireland (2025) · about 1 in 1,000 boys in Puerto Rico (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 44 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Killians

Killian Hayes — French-American basketball player (born 2001)
Killian Scott — Irish actor
Killian Sardella — Belgian footballer born 2002
Killian Overmeire — Belgian footballer
Killian Peier — Swiss ski jumper

In stories & tradition

Killian Jones — Once Upon a Time

What Killians become

Among 71 notable people named Killian:

Sports figures appear 3.15× more often than among typical names — e.g. Killian Hayes, French-American basketball player (born 2001).

Similar names: Cillian · Rhys · Kylan · Callen · Kian · Finnegan

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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