| Doyle | Kieran | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | dark stranger | little dark one |
| Origin | irish | irish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | DOYL | KEER-uhn |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1918 |
| Peak year | 1931 (667) | 2025 (817) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 817 |
| Trend | Vintage | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Doyle | Kieran |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 63 | 3,946 |
| 2010s | 130 | 5,282 |
| 2000s | 273 | 4,412 |
| 1990s | 412 | 2,177 |
| 1980s | 670 | 610 |
| 1970s | 1,462 | 415 |
| 1960s | 3,465 | 374 |
| 1950s | 5,079 | 222 |
| 1940s | 5,529 | 81 |
| 1930s | 6,021 | 48 |
| 1920s | 4,930 | 38 |
| 1910s | 2,054 | 8 |
| 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.
Anglicized from Irish Ciaran, a diminutive of 'ciar' meaning 'black, dark', giving 'little dark one'. Borne by several early Irish saints.
Kieran is more popular than Doyle today: about 817 US babies were given the name Kieran in 2025, compared with 0 named Doyle.
Doyle means dark stranger (irish origin), while Kieran means little dark one (irish origin).
In US records, Doyle first appears in 0 and Kieran in 1918, so Doyle has the longer recorded history.