| Kieran | Doyle | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | little dark one | dark stranger |
| Origin | irish | irish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | KEER-uhn | DOYL |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1918 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2025 (817) | 1931 (667) |
| In 2025 | 817 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Kieran | Doyle |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 3,946 | 63 |
| 2010s | 5,282 | 130 |
| 2000s | 4,412 | 273 |
| 1990s | 2,177 | 412 |
| 1980s | 610 | 670 |
| 1970s | 415 | 1,462 |
| 1960s | 374 | 3,465 |
| 1950s | 222 | 5,079 |
| 1940s | 81 | 5,529 |
| 1930s | 48 | 6,021 |
| 1920s | 38 | 4,930 |
| 1910s | 8 | 2,054 |
| 1900s | 0 | 216 |
| 1890s | 0 | 87 |
| 1880s | 0 | 9 |
Anglicized from Irish Ciaran, a diminutive of 'ciar' meaning 'black, dark', giving 'little dark one'. Borne by several early Irish saints.
Anglicized from Irish O Dubhghaill, from 'dubh' meaning 'dark, black' and 'gall' meaning 'stranger, foreigner' — 'dark foreigner', a term historically applied to Viking settlers.
Kieran is more popular than Doyle today: about 817 US babies were given the name Kieran in 2025, compared with 0 named Doyle.
Kieran means little dark one (irish origin), while Doyle means dark stranger (irish origin).
In US records, Kieran first appears in 1918 and Doyle in 0, so Doyle has the longer recorded history.