Kian

KEE-en or kee-AHN

Irish; Persian

"ancient; king"

Kian Origin and Meaning

The name Kian is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "ancient; king".

A friendly Irish and Persian name chosen by Geena Davis for one of her twin boys, whose father is Iranian.

Irish and Iranian has to be one of the most diverse pair of roots of any name. Kian can be a variation of the Irish Cian, very popular in its native land. While Cian is fairly rare in the US, Kian has been rising through the ranks for the past two decades. The Irish Cian or Kian is pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable, KEE-en, rhyming with Ian.

The Iranian Kian is pronounced kee-AHN, like the first two syllables of Keanu as in Reeves.

Spelled Kian, the name is popular throughout the English-speaking world as well as in Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland, but it's impossible to say whether the parents choosing it are going for the Irish or Persian version. Some undoubtedly don't care and simply like the name, no matter what its origin.

Kian Rank in US Top 1000

# 416 in the US

Kian Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 331 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Kian

• 416 US 2024
• 331 Nameberry 2025
• 162 Canada 2022
• 323 Future 2028
• 205 England 2023
• 161 Scotland 2023
• 75 Germany 2024
• 44 Sweden 2024
• 43 Switzerland 2023

20 Names Similar to Kian

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Kian.

• Keiran
• Kellan
• Killian
• Kylian
• Callan
• Rohan
• Calum
• Rían
• Kellen
• Sylas
• Keenan
• Callen
• Teagan
• Kiernan
• Taron
• Brennan
• Corbin
• Rylan
• Emery
• Arie

Famous People Named Kian

• Kian Hansen Danish footballer
• Kian Emadi British cyclist
• Kian Mitchum American model
• Kian Kazemi Filipino actor
• Kian Robert Lawley American YouTuber and actor
• Kian John Francis Egan Irish singer of boy band Westlife
• Kian Tajbakhsh Iranian,American scholar, sociologist, and urban planner
• Kian Birch brother of American actress Thora Birch
• Kian William Jarrahy (b. 2004) son of actress Geena Davis and Reza Jarrahy; twin brother Kaiis Steven Jarrahy
• Kian Alexander MacKay (b. 2013) son of Canadian politician Peter MacKay
• Kian Brownfield Australian singer

The name Kian in Pop Culture

• Kian Alvane character in Dreamfall and Dreamfall Chapters
• Also a Persian boys' name meaning "kings" pronounced kee AHN.