Keir
Below 5 births
2025 SSA
About Keir
While Keir is typically used for boys, a small number of girls were given the name in the late 1960s and 70s, perhaps owing to the actor Keir Dullea starring in the 1968 2001: A Space Odyssey. Derived from the Irish Ciar or the Scottish Kerr, the name is more likely heard as a nickname for girls called Keira than as a stand alone name.
Keir for boys#10207 US
Keir is a single-syllable name that packs a punch, but also has a endearing quality about it thanks to its similarity to the word care. Sometimes used as a short form of the more popular Kieran, it could be derived from the Irish ciar meaning "black, dark".
Alternatively, it may be viewed as a variation of the Scottish Kerr, itself from the Old Norse kjarr, linking it to thicket, marshland, and brushwood. Other sources identify it with keir, an Old Scots word referring to a fort.
Notable bearers include Keir Dullea, an American actor who starred in 2001: A Space Odyssey and Sir Keir Starmer, a British politician who was the head of the Labour Party between 2020 and 2026 and the Prime Minister of the UK between 2024 and 2026.
The name ranked in the UK charts back in the 90s and 2000s, but fell out of the stats in 2024, coinciding with Starmer's election. In the US, it has been quietly used since the 1960s and saw a small spike in popularity between 1968 and 1972, around the time of Dullea's star role in 2001: A Space Odyssey. A more recent year saw it given to 7 boys, with Kieran or Kyaire being the preferred options.
Pronounced KEER.
As of October 2026, Keir ranked #14518 in US births in 1994 SSA, peaked at #4897 in 1970.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | — | 0 | #4,624 | 21 |
| 2016 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | — | 0 | #4,938 | 20 |
| 2023 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | — | 0 | — | 0 |
Similar names
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Keir on lists
Famous Keirs
- Keir DillonBoy
American pro snowboarder
- Keir DulleaBoy
American actor
- Keir GilchristBoy
English,born Canadian actor
- Keir HardieBoy
Scottish socialist
- Kier MaitlandBoy
Canadian freestyle swimmer
- Keir O'DonnellBoy
American actor
- Keir SimmonsBoy
English journalist
- James Keir HardieBoy
founder of the British Labour Party
- Keir StarmerBoy
Party leader of the British Labour Party as of 2020
Keir in pop culture
- KeirBoy
character in Sarah J Maas's "A Court of Thorns and Roses" book series
- Keir EaganBoy
Posthumous character in TV’s “Severance”