| Kian | Doyle | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Ancient, enduring | dark stranger |
| Origin | Irish | irish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | KEE-un | DOYL |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1970 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2025 (797) | 1931 (667) |
| In 2025 | 797 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Kian | Doyle |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 4,304 | 63 |
| 2010s | 5,452 | 130 |
| 2000s | 2,787 | 273 |
| 1990s | 698 | 412 |
| 1980s | 138 | 670 |
| 1970s | 78 | 1,462 |
| 1960s | 0 | 3,465 |
| 1950s | 0 | 5,079 |
| 1940s | 0 | 5,529 |
| 1930s | 0 | 6,021 |
| 1920s | 0 | 4,930 |
| 1910s | 0 | 2,054 |
| 1900s | 0 | 216 |
| 1890s | 0 | 87 |
| 1880s | 0 | 9 |
Kian comes from the Irish Cian, “ancient” or “enduring.”
Anglicized from Irish O Dubhghaill, from 'dubh' meaning 'dark, black' and 'gall' meaning 'stranger, foreigner' — 'dark foreigner', a term historically applied to Viking settlers.
Kian is more popular than Doyle today: about 797 US babies were given the name Kian in 2025, compared with 0 named Doyle.
Kian means Ancient, enduring (Irish origin), while Doyle means dark stranger (irish origin).
In US records, Kian first appears in 1970 and Doyle in 0, so Doyle has the longer recorded history.