Kayan

Persian, Kurdish, Yoruba, English

"leader, high status; celebrated; pure + grace"

Kayan Origin and Meaning

The name Kayan is a girl's name of English, Persian, Yoruba origin meaning "leader, high status; celebrated; pure + grace".

Versatile and multicultural, Kayan is a unisex name with its roots all around the globe. As a Persian or Kurdish name, it can mean "high status" or "leader" and would typically be pronounced as kee-ON, while from its Nigerian, Yoruba origins, it is a variant of Kayin, meaning "celebrated" or "wished for child".

Alternatively, some sources suggest it is a Malaysian or Indonesian name, relating to the Kayan River, or to the indigenous Kayan Dayak tribe from who the river takes its name. There is also the possibility that it comes from the Turkish name Kaya, meaning "rock" or the Turkish word kayan meaning "sliding, slithery", or potentially from the Turkish and Persian name Kayhan, meaning "universe, cosmos".

But that's not all! It may well be a modern spelling of Kayanne, a smoosh name blending Kay (from Katherine) with the classic Anne, meaning "pure and grace", or it may be connected to either the indigenous Kayan people of Myanmar, or to places of the same name in Armenia, Afghanistan, and Iran.

All in all, it's a global choice which was given to 36 girls and 40 boys in the US in 2024.