Ciarán

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Ciarán
Birr St. Brendan's Church Saint Kieran Window Detail 2010 09 10.jpg
PronunciationEnglish: /ˈkɪərən,-rɔːn/ KEER-ən, -awn
Irish: [ˈciəɾˠaːn̪ˠ,ciəˈɾˠaːn̪ˠ]
Scottish Gaelic: [ˈkʲʰiəɾan]
GenderMasculine
Language(s) Irish, Scottish Gaelic, English
Origin
Word/nameGaels
Meaning"little dark one"
Region of originIreland and Scotland
Other names
Alternative spellingCiaran
Variant form(s)
  • Ciarian
  • Ciaron
  • Cieran
  • Crain
  • Kieran
  • Keiran
  • Keiron
  • Kieron
  • Kiran
  • Keiren
  • Kieren
  • Kyran
  • Kyron
  • Keeran
  • Kairan
  • Ceiren [1]
Related names Ciara

Ciarán (Irish spelling) or Ciaran (Scottish Gaelic spelling) [2] [3] is a traditionally male given name of Irish origin. It means "little dark one" [4] or "little dark-haired one", produced by appending a diminutive suffix to ciar ("black", "dark"). [5] It is the masculine version of the name Ciara.

Contents

The name became common in reference to Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich, [6] who gave his name to the Ciarraige and County Kerry, [7] and two early Irish saints both counted among the Twelve Apostles of Ireland: Ciarán the Elder and Ciarán the Younger.

It is anglicised in various ways: Ciaran, Kieran, Keiran, Keiron, Keiren, Keerun, Kiran, etc.

According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Kierans were the chiefly family of the Cíarraige tribe who in turn were from the Dumnonii or Laigin who were the third wave of Celts to settle in Ireland during the first century BC. [8]

The name can also be found in the Irish surname of O'Keiran, meaning "descendant of Ciarán".

Notable people

Saints

People with the given name Keiren

People with the given name Kieran

People with the given name Kieren

People with the given name Kieron

People with the given name Kyran

Fictional characters

Other cultures

See also

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References

  1. "Keeran - Meaning of Keeran, What does Keeran mean?".
  2. Akerbeltz Gaelic Resources Archived 22 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Iain Mac an Tàilleir: Ainmean Pearsanta, retrieved from SMO website
  4. "Ireland". Irish Boys Names. Retrieved 12 June 2007.
  5. "Southern Methodist University". Kira's Name. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 12 June 2007.
  6. "RootsWeb". County Kerry. Retrieved 12 June 2007.
  7. "Live views from Ireland: Kerry". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
  8. Cairney, C. Thomas (1989). Clans and Families of Ireland and Scotland. Jefferson, North Carolina, United States, and London: McFarland & Company. pp. 78–82. ISBN   0899503624.