Kira
Kira was the 385th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 801 babies. Its best year was 2005, when it ranked 241st with 1,391 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 24 places. More babies were named Kira in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Russian, Greek, Irish
Say it KEER-uh /ˈkɪrə/
- Rank in 2025
- #385 girls, unchanged since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 801girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20051,391 babies
- Total since 1880
- 40,856babies recorded
What does the name Kira mean?
Kira has several sources. Wiktionary gives it as a variant of Kyra, or as the Russian Kira, which goes back through Greek to the Persian name Kurush (Cyrus); it is also used as a respelling of Irish Ciara, a modern feminine of Ciarán. Wiktionary says Kyra may also come from medieval Greek kyra, "lady". The meaning depends on which source is intended.
Κῦρος (Ancient Greek, “Cyrus”)κυρά (Medieval Greek, “lady”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Several separate sources.
Related names: Kyra, Keira, Ciara, Cyra.
See also: Slavic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kira', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kyra', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Kira popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 27 since 1982.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #385 | 801 |
| 2020 | #385 | 808 |
| 2010 | #309 | 1,036 |
| 2000 | #292 | 1,092 |
| 1990 | #528 | 449 |
| 1980 | #787 | 209 |
| 1970 | #1,022 | 121 |
| 1960 | #2,271 | 27 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kira, counting every spelling?
Kira is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #369 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #385 for Kira on its own. Together these spellings went to 897 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kira | 801 | #385 | 3,826 |
| Kyrah | 49 | #3,229 | 341 |
| Kirra | 31 | #4,501 | 170 |
| Kirah | 16 | #6,992 | 81 |
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 Kira?
801 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kira (0.22 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Kira 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 10 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kira.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kira?
About 40,100 people born in the US named Kira are alive today, with a median age of 22; half are between 13 and 32. That makes Kira 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.
Kira by state
How common Kira was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Hawaii (9.8×), Washington (2.4×), Oregon (2.3×), Colorado (1.9×), Minnesota (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kira: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kira, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Kira · Sibling names for Kira
Questions about the name Kira
What does Kira mean?
The origin of Kira is uncertain: several separate sources.
How popular is the name Kira?
Kira was the 385th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 801 babies. Its best year was 2005, when it ranked 241st with 1,391 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 24 places. More babies were named Kira in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Kira a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Kira in the US.
Where is Kira most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kira was most common in Hawaii (4.62 per 1,000 girls), followed by Washington and Oregon.