Gender | Male |
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Language(s) | Gaelic |
Meaning | "little dark one" |
Region of origin | Ireland/Scotland |
Alternative spelling | Ciaran |
Variant form(s) | Ciaran, Kieran, Kyran, Keiron, Kieron, Keiren, Kieren, Keiran, Keeran |
Related names | Ciara |
Ciarán (Irish pronunciation: [ˈciəɾˠaːn̪ˠ]/[ciəˈɾˠaːn̪ˠ]) or Ciaran (Scottish), pronounced KEER-ən or KEER-awn, is a Gaelic male given name. It means "little dark one" or "little dark-haired one", 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 anglicised in various ways: Ciaran, Kieran, Keiran, Keiron, Keiren, Kieren, Keeran, Kyran, etc.