| Keira | Deirdre | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | dark, black-haired | Sorrowful |
| Origin | irish | Irish |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | KEER-ah | DEER-druh |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1921 |
| Peak year | 2006 (3,022) | 1961 (799) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 13 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Keira | Deirdre |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 3,391 | 85 |
| 2010s | 13,440 | 206 |
| 2000s | 14,520 | 544 |
| 1990s | 1,390 | 1,206 |
| 1980s | 637 | 2,049 |
| 1970s | 359 | 3,123 |
| 1960s | 99 | 6,321 |
| 1950s | 0 | 2,274 |
| 1940s | 0 | 822 |
| 1930s | 0 | 167 |
| 1920s | 0 | 48 |
Anglicized spelling of the Irish Ciara, derived from Old Irish 'ciar' meaning 'black, dark'. Same root as Ciaran/Kieran; refers to dark hair or complexion.
Deirdre is usually read “sorrowful”; she is a tragic heroine of Irish legend.
Deirdre is more popular than Keira today: about 13 US babies were given the name Deirdre in 2025, compared with 0 named Keira.
Keira means dark, black-haired (irish origin), while Deirdre means Sorrowful (Irish origin).
In US records, Keira first appears in 0 and Deirdre in 1921, so Keira has the longer recorded history.