Ciarán

Ciarán
Gender	Male
Language(s)	Gaelic
Origin
Meaning	"little dark one"
Region of origin	Ireland/Scotland
Other names
Alternative spelling	Ciaran
Variant form(s)	Ciaran, Kieran, Kyran, Kerry, Keiron, Keiren, Kieren, Keiran, Ceiran, Ceeran, Cairan
Related names	Ciara, Sierra, Cierra

Ciarán (Irish) or Ciaran (Scottish) is a Gaelic male given name meaning "little dark one" or "blacky", produced by appending a diminutive suffix to ciar ("black", "dark"). The female form is Ciara.

The name became common in reference to Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich, who gave his name to the Ciarraige and County Kerry, and two early Irish saints both counted among the Twelve Apostles of Ireland, Ciarán the Elder and Ciarán the Younger.

It is anglicized in various ways: Ciaran, Kieran, Kyran, Keiron, Keiren, Kieren, Keiran, Ceiran, etc.

Notable people

• Ciarán Bourke (1935–1988), Irish musician
• Ciarán Brennan (born 1956), Irish musician
• Ciarán Cannon (born 1965), Irish politician
• Ciarán Carey (born 1970), Irish hurling player
• Ciaran Carson (born 1948), Northern Irish poet and playwright
• Ciaran Clark (born 1989), Irish footballer, currently playing for Aston Villa
• Ciarán Cuffe (born 1963), Irish politician
• Ciaran Donnelly (born 1984), English footballer
• Ciarán Farrell (born 1969), Irish composer
• Ciaran Fitzgerald (born 1952), Irish rugby player and coach
• Ciarán Griffiths (born 1983), British actor
• Ciaran Gultnieks (born 1970), British computer/video game programmer
• Ciarán Hinds (born 1953), Irish actor
• Ciaran Jeremiah, British keyboardist
• Ciaran Joyce (born 1987), Welsh actor
• Ciaran Kilkenny (born 1993), Irish footballer
• Ciarán Kenny (born 1984), Irish hurler
• Ciarán Lenehan (born 1990), Irish footballer
• Ciarán Lynch (born 1964), Irish politician
• Ciarán Lyng (born 1985), Irish footballer
• Ciarán MacGillivray (born 1987), member of Cape Breton musical group "The Cottars"
• Ciarán Mac Mathúna (1925–2009), Irish broadcaster and music expert
• Ciarán Martyn (born 1980), Irish footballer
• Ciarán McDonald, Irish Gaelic football player
• Ciarán McMenamin (born 1975), Northern Irish actor
• Ciarán Murphy (born 1940), Irish politician
• Ciaran O'Brien (born 1987), American soccer player
• Ciarán O Gealbháin, Irish singer
• Ciarán O'Keeffe (born 1971), British parapsychologist
• Ciaran O'Leary (born 1973), Irish professional poker player
• Ciarán Power (born 1976), Irish cyclist
• Ciaran Quinn (born 1982), Irish footballer
• Ciarán Sheehan (born 1990), Irish Gaelic footballer
• Ciarán Walsh, retired Irish Gaelic footballer
• Ciarán Whelan (born 1976), Irish Gaelic footballer

Saints

• Saint Ciarán Saighir or Ciarán the Elder
• Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise or Ciarán the Younger
• Saint Ciarán of Dissert-Kieran, celebrated 14 June
• Saint Ciarán of Clonsost, commemorated 30 April
• Saint Ciarán mac Colga, celebrated 19 May
• Saint Ciarán Mac Eochaidh of Tubrid, a protogé of Saint Declan

People with the given name Keiren

• Keiren Westwood (born 1984), British-Irish footballer

People with the given name Kieran

• Kieran Brennan (born 1957), Irish hurler
• Kieran Charnock (born 1984), English footballer
• Kieran Conry (born 1951), Bishop of Arundel and Brighton
• Kieran Culkin (born 1982), American actor
• Kieran Doherty (1955–1981), Provisional Irish Republican Army hunger striker
• Kieran Donaghy (born 1983), Irish Gaelic footballer
• Kieran Egan (born 1942), Irish-Anglo-Canadian educationist
• Kieran Foran (born 1990), New Zealand rugby league player
• Kieran Gibbs (born 1989), English footballer
• Kieran Phelan (born 1949), Irish Politician
• Kieran Goss (born 1962), Irish musician
• Kieran Hanrahan (born 1957), Irish musician and broadcaster
• Kieran Hebden (born 1977), English musician
• Kieran Kane (born 1949), American country singer
• Kieran Lalor, American politician
• Kieran Mahon, English musician
• Kieran McAnespie (born 1979), Scottish footballer
• Kieran McFeely, Irish musician
• Kieran McGeeney (born 1971), former Irish Gaelic footballer and coach
• Kieran McKeever (born 1968), former Irish dual player
• Kieran Noema-Barnett (born 1987), New Zealand cricketer
• Kieran Nugent (1958–2000), Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) member
• Kieran O'Brien (born 1973), British actor
• Kieran O'Donnell (born 1963), Irish politician
• Kieran Phelan (1949–2010), Irish politician
• Sir Kieran Prendergast (born 1942), British diplomat and former United Nations officer
• Kieran Prendiville (born 1947), English television writer, producer, and presenter
• Kieran Read (born 1985), New Zealand rugby union player
• Kieran Richardson (born 1984), English footballer
• Kieran West (born 1977), Olympic gold medal winning rower
• Kieran White (died 1995), AFL champion and Bronlow Medalist

People with the given name Kieren

• Kieren Fallon (born 1965), six-time British Champion Jockey
• Kieren Jack (born 1987), Australian professional Australian rules footballer
• Kieren Perkins (born 1973), Australian swimmer and Olympic gold medallist
• Kieren Webster (born 1986), Scottish musician

People with the given name Kieron

• Kieron Dawson (born 1975), Irish rugby union player
• Kieron Dwyer (born 1967), American comic book artist
• Kieron Dyer (born 1978), English football player in the Premier League
• Kieron Gillen (born 1975), British computer games and music journalist, as well as a comic book author
• Kieron Moore (1924–2007), Irish actor
• Kieron Pollard (born 1987), West Indian cricketer
• Kieron Richardson (born 1986), British actor

See also

• List of Irish-language given names
• Cian Ciaran (born 1976), Welsh keyboard player
• Ciara (given name)
• Errigal Ciarán, Irish Gaelic Athletic Association club
• Chiron
• Keeran
• Kira (given name)
• Kiran (disambiguation), an Indian name

Fictionals

• Ciaran McCarthy, soap opera character