Kierra
An English feminine name possibly derived from the Irish word "ciar" meaning "black" or "dark".
Name Census estimates that about 15,237 living Americans carry the first name Kierra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kierra today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kierra births was 1995 (878 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kierra. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
15K
~ 1 in 22,495 Americans
Peak year
1995
878 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
1992 SSA rank
#2,983
Tracked since 1975
Gender
Gender distribution for Kierra
Out of the 15,634 babies given the name Kierra since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Kierra as a male name
- Ranked #7,080 in 1992
- 7 male births in 1992
- Peak: 1992 (7 births)
Kierra as a female name
- Ranked #2,983 in 2024
- 55 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1995 (878 births)
Popularity
Kierra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kierra from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 7,481 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kierra by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kierra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kierras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 41 states and territories. Texas, Georgia, Florida recorded the most babies named Kierra, while Montana, South Dakota, Connecticut recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 337 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kierra
The name Kierra is a modern English feminine name derived from the Irish Gaelic name Ciar, meaning "black" or "dark-featured." The name has its origins in ancient Celtic culture, where names often reflected physical attributes or characteristics.
Kierra emerged as a popular name in the late 20th century, particularly in the United States and Canada. While not commonly found in historical records, it is believed to be a variant of the more traditional Irish name Ciara or Kiera, which have been in use for centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kierra can be traced back to the late 1970s, when it began to appear in birth records across North America. As a relatively new name, there are no well-known historical figures specifically named Kierra, but there are several notable individuals who bear variations of the name.
Ciara, an American singer and songwriter born in 1985, has achieved significant success in the music industry and is one of the most famous bearers of the name. Kiera Knightley, the British actress born in 1985, is also a notable figure who shares the similar spelling Kiera.
Other notable individuals include Kiera Cass, an American author born in 1981, known for her young adult fiction series "The Selection"; Ciara Renée, an American actress and singer born in 1990; and Kiera Hogan, an American professional wrestler born in 1987.
While the name Kierra is relatively new and lacks a deep historical lineage, its Celtic origins and associations with physical attributes like dark features contribute to its unique character and appeal in modern times.
People
Kierra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kierra as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kierra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kierra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15,237 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kierra going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 22,495 US residents.
Is Kierra a common name?
We classify Kierra as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15,634 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kierra most popular?
The single biggest year for Kierra was 1995, when 878 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kierra is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kierra a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Kierra in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.