| Doyle | Cillian | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | dark stranger | Bright-headed; church |
| Origin | irish | Irish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | DOYL | KIL-ee-un |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1995 |
| Peak year | 1931 (667) | 2024 (668) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 595 |
| Trend | Vintage | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Doyle | Cillian |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 63 | 2,662 |
| 2010s | 130 | 1,204 |
| 2000s | 273 | 208 |
| 1990s | 412 | 10 |
| 1980s | 670 | 0 |
| 1970s | 1,462 | 0 |
| 1960s | 3,465 | 0 |
| 1950s | 5,079 | 0 |
| 1940s | 5,529 | 0 |
| 1930s | 6,021 | 0 |
| 1920s | 4,930 | 0 |
| 1910s | 2,054 | 0 |
| 1900s | 216 | 0 |
| 1890s | 87 | 0 |
| 1880s | 9 | 0 |
Anglicized from Irish O Dubhghaill, from 'dubh' meaning 'dark, black' and 'gall' meaning 'stranger, foreigner' — 'dark foreigner', a term historically applied to Viking settlers.
Cillian is linked to “bright-headed” and to cill, “church” or “monastery.”
Cillian is more popular than Doyle today: about 595 US babies were given the name Cillian in 2025, compared with 0 named Doyle.
Doyle means dark stranger (irish origin), while Cillian means Bright-headed; church (Irish origin).
In US records, Doyle first appears in 0 and Cillian in 1995, so Doyle has the longer recorded history.