Unisex name · since 1957
Kiernan
Since 1957, U.S. Social Security records show 1,761 babies named Kiernan, peaking in 2008. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #3,566 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,401 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,761
- born since 1957
- 2000s
- peak decade
Yes -- Kiernan is the #3401 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 1,761 recorded since 1957.
Kiernan has 1,761 recorded births among boys since 1957, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3401 as of the latest data, more common than 76% of boys, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1957 to 2025.
- #3,566 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #3,401 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,761 born since 1957
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kiernan ranks #3,566 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,401 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,761 born since 1957, peaking in the 2000s.
- #3,566 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,401 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,761
- born since 1957
- 2000s
- peak decade
Kiernan's 1,761 recorded births place it above 92.15% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
14 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Kiernan compares
1,761 Top 23% higher than 77% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Kiernan's all-time total is 5x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kiernan | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,761 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 77 | 34 | 22,252 |
Kiernan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Kiernan splits its recorded history at 2000: 74% of all births land in the more recent half, 26% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1957 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2008 peak of 77 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Kiernan popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1957–2025
- Peak year (2008)
- 77
- Annual births at peak, across 69 years of records
Kiernan popularity over time - girls
687 total births recorded since 1972 (Kiernan as girls' name)
Kiernan by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (645 births, 37% of the file).
2000s was Kiernan's strongest decade.
645 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 37% of all-time use.
Kiernan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 5
1950s
5 births
- 1960s 9
1960s
9 births
- 1970s 20
1970s
20 births
- 1980s 88
1980s
88 births
- 1990s
1990s
338 births
- 2000s
2000s
645 births
- 2010s
2010s
449 births
- 2020s 207
2020s
207 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 645 births (37% of all-time use).
How Kiernan compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Kiernan's total volume
Kiernan by state
Where Kiernan concentrates geographically, total births since 1957
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 169 | 9.6% |
| #2 | California | | 82 | 4.7% |
| #3 | Massachusetts | | 29 | 1.6% |
| #4 | Florida | | 23 | 1.3% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 21 | 1.2% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 17 | 1.0% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 15 | 0.9% |
| #8 | Virginia | | 13 | 0.7% |
169 of 1,761 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 14 reporting states.
Kiernan appears in 14 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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When was Kiernan most popular? ▼
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What to do with Kiernan's data
- Kiernan's decade-level peak was the 2000s (645 total births); usage has since declined to 207 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Kiernans (169 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Kiernan
Nearby Names Like Kiernan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kiernan
Compare Kiernan side by side: Kiernan vs Kieran Kiernan vs Kieth Kiernan vs Kiel
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kiernan
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kiernan: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2008)
Similar record span (~68 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1957–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Kiernan draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.