How Many People Are Named Kieran?

An estimated 17,885 people in the United States have the first name Kieran. It is predominantly male (91.3%). The average bearer is 19 years old, and Kieran peaked in popularity in 2024 with 724 births that year.

Below you will find a full statistical profile of Kieran as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Kieran paired with any surname.

Estimated Living Americans

17,885

About 1 in 19,164 people in the U.S.

Rarity

Uncommon

Very Rare Very Common

Predicted Gender

Male

91.3% confidence

Average Age

19

years old

Peak Year

2024

724 births

Total Registered

18,382

since 1880

Gender Distribution for Kieran

Kieran is predominantly male (91.3%), though 1,594 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.

Male 16,788 (91.3%)
Female 1,594 (8.7%)

Kieran as a male name

Ranked #440 in 2024

713 male births in 2024

Peak: 2024 (713 births)

Kieran as a female name

Ranked #9,227 in 2024

11 female births in 2024

Peak: 2007 (77 births)

Kieran in the 2020 Census

The 2020 Census recorded 15,306 people with the first name Kieran, which placed it at #1,875 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.

Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.

Gender in the 2020 Census

In the 2020 Census, Kieran was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 15,306 people with this name in that snapshot, 90.1% were male and 9.9% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 91.3% of the time.

Census Count

15,306

people with this name

Census Rank

#1,875

among Census first names

Frequency Rate

5.07

per 100,000 people

Male 13,793 (90.1%)
Female 1,513 (9.9%)

Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census

In the 2020 Census, the first name Kieran was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (73.82%). The next largest recorded groups were Two or More Races (11.51%) and Hispanic (6.58%).

These percentages describe the people who had the first name Kieran in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.

White
73.82%
Black
4.96%
Hispanic
6.58%
Asian/Pacific Islander
2.42%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.70%
Two or More Races
11.51%

2020 Census demographic breakdown

Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Kieran.

Group Share Count
White 73.82% 11,303
Two or More Races 11.51% 1,763
Hispanic 6.58% 1,007
Black 4.96% 760
Asian and Pacific Islander 2.42% 371
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70% 107

The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.

Kieran: Popularity Over Time

SSA records for Kieran span from the 1910s to the 2020s, covering 12 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 5,620 babies were registered. While Kieran is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.

Male
Female
0 145 290 434 579 724 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

Kieran by Decade

How has Kieran tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.

Decade Total Male Female
1910s 8 8 0
1920s 38 38 0
1930s 48 48 0
1940s 86 81 5
1950s 233 222 11
1960s 423 374 49
1970s 475 416 59
1980s 729 610 119
1990s 2,504 2,177 327
2000s 5,003 4,412 591
2010s 5,620 5,279 341
2020s 3,215 3,123 92

Kieran by State

Birth registrations for Kieran span all 47 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, California, Pennsylvania. The lowest are in Montana, Hawaii, Vermont. On average, about 304 Kierans were registered per state.

Kieran + Last Name Combinations

How many people share a full name with Kieran as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.

Kieran: Questions and Answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Kieran?

We estimate approximately 17,885 people named Kieran are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 19,164 Americans share this first name.

Is Kieran a common name?

Kieran is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.4% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 18,382 births have been registered with this name since 1880.

When was Kieran most popular?

Kieran reached peak popularity in 2024, when 724 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Kieran is approximately 19 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.

How common was Kieran in the 2020 Census?

The 2020 Census recorded 15,306 people with the first name Kieran. That placed it at #1,875 in the published Census first-name tables, or 5.07 people per 100,000.

Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?

Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.

What does the SSA popularity chart show?

The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Kieran was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.

What does the Census say about the gender split for Kieran?

In the 2020 Census snapshot, Kieran was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 90.1% male and 9.9% female.

What does the Census say about the background of people named Kieran?

In the 2020 Census, the first name Kieran was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (73.82%). The next largest recorded groups were Two or More Races (11.51%) and Hispanic (6.58%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.

Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?

The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.

Does every first name have Census demographic data?

No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.

Is Kieran a male name?

Kieran is predominantly male. 91.3% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.

Why can Kieran have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?

Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Kieran peaked in 2024, and the average living bearer is about 19 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.

How many Kieran Smiths are there?

To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Kieran Smith, Kieran Johnson, Kieran Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.

Where does this data come from?

Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.

Search for a full name combination