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Home › Baby Names Directory › Cillian

Cillian

♀ Girl

Pronounced KIL-ee-un /ˈkɪl.i.ən/Medium

Meaning: An Irish name, usually explained from ceall ('church; monastic cell') with a diminutive — 'little church one' — or from cill/ceallach, sometimes read as 'strife.' It is strongly a boys' name in Ireland and abroad, carried by actor Cillian Murphy; we note the lean clearly.Low

In 30 seconds: An Irish name meaning 'little church' (said 'KIL-ee-un'). It is strongly a boy's name — we note the lean clearly.
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Origin MediumIrish
MeaningAn Irish name, usually explained from ceall ('church; monastic cell') with a diminutive — 'little church one' — or from cill/ceallach, sometimes read as 'strife.' It is strongly a boys' name in Ireland and abroad, carried by actor Cillian Murphy; we note the lean clearly.
U.S. rank (2024)#13797
2024 U.S. births6 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year2024
Total births (all-time)≈ 6

History & Origin

Cillian is an Irish name, usually traced to ceall ('church; monastic cell'), giving a sense like 'little church one'; another reading links it to a word for strife. Saint Killian was a seventh-century Irish missionary to Bavaria, and actor Cillian Murphy carries it today. It is strongly a boys' name — we note the lean clearly (said 'KIL-ee-un').

For girls it appears only very rarely in U.S. data, against heavy boys' use in Ireland and abroad. Rare, Irish, and boy-leaning.

Did you know? Cillian is said the Irish way — KIL-ee-un, not SIL-ee-un — and it belongs to Saint Killian, an Irish monk who carried Christianity into Bavaria; the name is strongly a boy's, which we note (said 'KIL-ee-un').
Overall data confidence 45%
References — Cillian — Irish, from ceall 'church'; strongly male (Cillian Murphy); cross-sex use

Variations

KillianKilianCilian

Nicknames

CillLia

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Cillian…

Killian— a spelling twin of the same Irish name
Kieran— a like Irish unisex-leaning pick
Lillian— a like -illian sound for girls
Callahan— shares Cillian's Irish roots
Carrigan— shares Cillian's Irish roots

Explore names like Cillian

By themeirishcross-sexsaintunisex-lean-boy

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Cillian mean?

Cillian is Irish, usually read as 'little church one' from ceall, 'church'; another reading gives 'strife.'

How do you pronounce Cillian?

It's said KIL-ee-un /ˈkɪl.i.ən/ — three syllables, stress on the first. The C is hard, as in Irish.

Is Cillian a boy or girl name?

Cillian is strongly a boy's name in Ireland and the U.S. — we note the lean clearly.

How popular is Cillian?

Cillian is very rare for girls and much more common for boys.

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