Ciarán
Pronunciation
English: /ˈkɪərən, -rɔːn/ KEER-ən, -awn
Irish: [ˈciəɾˠaːn̪ˠ, ciəˈɾˠaːn̪ˠ]
Scottish Gaelic: [ˈkʲʰiəɾan]
Gender
Masculine
Language(s)
Irish, Scottish Gaelic, English
Origin
Word/name
Gaels
Meaning
"little dark one"
Region of origin
Ireland and Scotland
Other names
Alternative spelling
Ciaran
Variant form(s)
Related names
Ciarán (Irish spelling) or Ciaran (Scottish Gaelic spelling)[2][3] is a traditionally male given name of Irish origin. It means "little dark one"[4] or "little dark-haired one", produced by appending a diminutive suffix to ciar ("black", "dark").[5] It is the masculine version of the name Ciara.
The name became common in reference to Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich,[6] who gave his name to the Ciarraige and County Kerry,[7] 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, Keerun, Kiran, etc.
According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Kierans were the chiefly family of the Cíarraige tribe who in turn were from the DumnoniiorLaigin who were the third wave of Celts to settle in Ireland during the first century BC.[8]
The name can also be found in the Irish surname of O'Keiran, meaning "descendant of Ciarán".
Native masculine names
Native feminine names
Germanic-derived
masculine names
Bible-derived
masculine names
Bible-derived
feminine names
Latin/Greek-derived
masculine names
Latin/Greek-derived
feminine names
See also
