| Kian | Sullivan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Ancient, enduring | dark-eyed (disputed) |
| Origin | Irish | irish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | KEE-un | SUHL-ih-vuhn |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1970 | 1884 |
| Peak year | 2025 (797) | 2025 (1,083) |
| In 2025 | 797 | 1,083 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Kian | Sullivan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 4,304 | 5,564 |
| 2010s | 5,452 | 6,428 |
| 2000s | 2,787 | 2,135 |
| 1990s | 698 | 535 |
| 1980s | 138 | 83 |
| 1970s | 78 | 86 |
| 1960s | 0 | 85 |
| 1950s | 0 | 129 |
| 1940s | 0 | 114 |
| 1930s | 0 | 110 |
| 1920s | 0 | 141 |
| 1910s | 0 | 122 |
| 1900s | 0 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0 | 63 |
| 1880s | 0 | 30 |
Kian comes from the Irish Cian, “ancient” or “enduring.”
Anglicized from Irish O Suilleabhain, from 'suil' meaning 'eye' plus a second element usually read as 'dubh' (dark/black), giving 'dark-eyed'. The second element is disputed; alternative readings give 'one-eyed' or 'hawk-eyed', so the 'dark' sense is probable rather than certain.
Sullivan is more popular than Kian today: about 1,083 US babies were given the name Sullivan in 2025, compared with 797 named Kian.
Kian means Ancient, enduring (Irish origin), while Sullivan means dark-eyed (disputed) (irish origin).
In US records, Kian first appears in 1970 and Sullivan in 1884, so Sullivan has the longer recorded history.