Killian

Meaning: Possibly strife, or church/monastery
Origin: Variant of Cillian · Irish; derivation uncertain (from Irish)

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

Popularity over time

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.

Across the states

See where Killian is more common.

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

Around the world

See how Killian ranks in other countries and regions.

#144 in Ireland (2025) · #182 in N. Ireland (2025) · #259 in Puerto Rico (2025) · #385 in Sweden (2025) · #470 in Scotland (2025) · #632 in England & Wales (2025) · #916 in Austria (2025) · #932 in Ecuador (2025) · #1,454 in Belgium (2025) · #424 in Canada (2024).

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 (TV series)

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).

Spellings & nicknames

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.

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

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

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