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Boy · Old Irish
Cillian
Say it: KIL-ee-un
Meaning
Uncertain; often explained as 'little church' (cell), or linked to ceall 'strife'; neither is secure.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Its wave through time
Rising now
In the United States
- 1,643 babies given this name since 1995
- At its height in 2020, about 1 in 7,700 boys
- 223 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Cilléne, Killian
| German | Kilian |
|---|
Famous bearers
- Saint Kilian, missionary to Franconia
- Cillian Murphy, Irish actor
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Lives of the saints and early Christian martyrologies
- National birth statistics of European countries source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.