Ciarán, Kieran, Ciar

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Ciaran

  • Origin: Gaelic
  • Meaning: “black”
  • Gender: masculine
  • Pronunciation: KEER-an; KYAIR-en, KEER

Ciarán is a diminutive form of Ciar, which comes directly from the Gaelic word for black.

In Irish legend, Ciar mac Fergus was the son of Fergus mac Róich. He was legendary progenitor of the Ciarraid people who gave their name to County Kerry in Ireland.

The name is borne by two Irish saints who are considered 2 of the 12 Apostles of Ireland, Ciarán the Elder & Ciarán the Younger (5th-century C.E.).

St. Ciarán the Elder was believed to be a contemporary of St. Patrick and he is often lauded as the first native born Irish saint. According to legend, his mother Liadán swallowed a star while pregnant with him and was told by the Druid priests that it meant her child would grow up to be an important man. Scholars debated whether he preceded Patrick in converting to Christianity or even met him or if he was converted by St. Patrick himself and was considered one of his helpers; the latter hypothesis seems to be the most popular.

St. Ciarán the Younger was the founder of the monastery in Clonmacnoise, one of the most important Christian centres in Medieval Ireland.

Other forms include:

  • Kenerin (Breton)
  • Kerne (Breton)
  • Kerrier (Breton)
  • Kyran (Breton)
  • Piran (Cornish)
  • Queranus (Dutch, Latin, German)
  • Keiran (English)
  • Kieran (English, French, Scots)
  • Kieron (English)
  • Queran (English, French, German)
  • Chiarain (French)
  • Kiéran (French)
  • Cirán (Galician)
  • Kiaran (German, Polish)
  • Ciarano (Italian, chyah-RAH-no, Spanish, syah-RAH-no, thyah-RAH-no)
  • Chierano (Italian, kyeh-RAH-no)
  • Ciaranus, Kyaranus (Late Latin)
  • Cieran (Welsh)

In the British Isles, Ciarán was quite popular in the early 2000s. In Northern Ireland, he peaked at #28 in 2000, #58 in 2004 in Scotland and #127 in England & Wales in 1997. In Ireland, it was the same case, peaking at #28 in 2002 and fell off the charts in 2017. Its anglicized form of Kieran currently ranks in the following countries:

  • #380 (England & Wales, 2018)
  • #496 (USA, 2018)

Its feminine form is Ciara

Sources

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