Kierstan
A feminine name of English origin meaning "stone church".
Name Census estimates that about 470 living Americans carry the first name Kierstan. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kierstan today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kierstan births was 1998 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kierstan. 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
470
~ 1 in 729,265 Americans
Peak year
1998
31 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2020 SSA rank
#14,318
Tracked since 1978
Popularity
Kierstan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kierstan 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 199 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
Kierstan 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 Kierstan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kierstans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kierstan
The name Kierstan is a modern spelling variant of the Irish name Ciarán, which originated in the Gaelic language spoken in Ireland and parts of Scotland. The name is derived from the Old Irish word "ciar," meaning "dark" or "black," likely referring to someone with dark features or hair.
In ancient Irish tradition, Ciarán was the name of one of the twelve apostles of Ireland, Saint Ciarán of Saigir, who lived in the 5th century. He is known for founding the monastic settlement of Seir-Kieran in County Offaly and is revered as one of the patron saints of Ireland.
The earliest recorded use of the name Ciarán can be found in medieval Irish manuscripts and annals, where it was a popular name among the Irish nobility and clergy. One notable figure from this period was Ciarán of Clonmacnoise, a 6th-century abbot and founder of the famous monastery of Clonmacnoise in County Offaly.
Over the centuries, the name Ciarán has undergone various spellings and adaptations, such as Kieran, Kieren, and the more modern Kierstan. While the name was traditionally associated with Irish culture, it has gained popularity in other English-speaking countries as well.
Some notable historical figures with the name Kierstan or its variants include:
1. Kierstan Dunklee (born 1996), an American biathlete who competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
2. Kierstan Bell (born 1998), an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA.
3. Kierstan Robbins (born 1988), an American soccer player who played for the United States women's national soccer team.
4. Kierstan Iles (born 1996), a Canadian rugby union player who represented Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
5. Kierstan Miccio (born 1985), an American author and entrepreneur known for her work in personal development and mindfulness.
While the name Kierstan is a modern variant, it carries the rich heritage and history of the traditional Irish name Ciarán, which has been deeply rooted in Irish culture and tradition for centuries.
People
Kierstan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kierstan 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
Kierstan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kierstan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 470 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kierstan 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 729,265 US residents.
Is Kierstan a common name?
We classify Kierstan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 482 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kierstan most popular?
The single biggest year for Kierstan was 1998, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kierstan is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kierstan a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kierstan 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.