Keira
Keira was the 622nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 469 babies. Its best year was 2006, when it ranked 110th with 3,022 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 377 places. More babies were named Keira in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning modern feminine of Kieran, from ciar 'dark' · Irish
Say it KEER-uh /ˈkɪrə/
- Rank in 2025
- #622 girls, down 155 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 469girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20063,022 babies
- Total since 1880
- 33,843babies recorded
What does the name Keira mean?
Keira is a modern English spelling of a feminine form of Kieran. Kieran anglicizes Irish Ciarán, which Wiktionary explains as a byname from ciar, black or dark, plus the diminutive -án: "little dark one." Wiktionary notes that Irish saints from the 5th century on made Ciarán popular. Keira, a modern formation, carries the same "dark" meaning over to a girl's name, and spellings such as Kiera and Ciara are close relatives.
ciar (Irish, “black, dark”)-án (Irish, “diminutive suffix”)
How sure is this? Probable. Wiktionary only; Keira is a modern formation from Kieran/Ciarán.
Related names: Kiera, Ciara, Kira, Kieran, Keara.
See also: Irish names, names that mean a color.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Keira' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ciarán' (Irish section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Keira popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 7 since 2009.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #622 | 469 |
| 2020 | #467 | 663 |
| 2010 | #165 | 1,863 |
| 2000 | #945 | 226 |
| 1990 | #1,726 | 85 |
| 1980 | #2,827 | 32 |
| 1970 | #2,890 | 24 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Keira, counting every spelling?
Keira is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #473 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #622 for Keira on its own. Together these spellings went to 671 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keira | 469 | #622 | 2,728 |
| Kaira | 152 | #1,424 | 828 |
| Kayra | 31 | #4,496 | 171 |
| Caira | 9 | #10,248 | 75 |
| Kairah | 5 | #16,031 | 42 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Keira?
469 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Keira (0.13 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Keira born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 18 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Keira.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Keira?
About 33,500 people born in the US named Keira are alive today, with a median age of 17; half are between 11 and 20. That makes Keira mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Keira by state
How common Keira was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Massachusetts (3.4×), Connecticut (2.2×), New Jersey (2.2×), Pennsylvania (2.1×), Washington (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Keira: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Keira, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Keira · Sibling names for Keira
Questions about the name Keira
What does Keira mean?
Keira means “modern feminine of Kieran, from ciar 'dark'” (Irish origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Keira?
Keira was the 622nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 469 babies. Its best year was 2006, when it ranked 110th with 3,022 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 377 places. More babies were named Keira in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Keira a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Keira in the US.
Where is Keira most popular?
In 2021–2025, Keira was most common in Massachusetts (1.14 per 1,000 girls), followed by New Hampshire and Connecticut.