Kirah
A feminine Hindu name meaning "sun ray" or "ray of light".
Name Census estimates that about 1,001 living Americans carry the first name Kirah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kirah today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kirah births was 2007 (57 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kirah. 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
1.0K
~ 1 in 342,412 Americans
Peak year
2007
57 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,782
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Kirah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kirah from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 393 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kirah 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 Kirah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kirahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Texas, Florida, Georgia recorded the most babies named Kirah, while California, Georgia, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kirah
The name Kirah is believed to have its origins in the Hebrew language, derived from the word "kir," which means "wall" or "fortified city." This name is thought to have emerged during the ancient times of the Middle East, possibly around the biblical era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kirah can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible, where it is mentioned as the name of a city in the territory of Benjamin. This reference suggests that the name was in use among the ancient Israelites and may have been associated with strength, fortification, and protection.
Throughout history, there have been a few notable individuals who bore the name Kirah. One of the earliest recorded figures was Kirah, daughter of Phineas and granddaughter of Eleazar, who lived during the time of the Exodus and the conquest of Canaan, as mentioned in the Book of Joshua.
In the 12th century, Kirah ben Yosef was a prominent Hebrew scholar and poet who lived in Spain during the Golden Age of Jewish culture in the Iberian Peninsula. His works, including liturgical poems and commentaries on biblical texts, contributed to the rich literary tradition of the time.
During the 17th century, Kirah Krischner was a German painter known for her portraits and religious works. She was active in the city of Nuremberg and contributed to the flourishing artistic scene of the time.
In the 19th century, Kirah Nath Dhar was an Indian educator and social reformer who played a significant role in the promotion of female education and the advancement of women's rights in British India.
Another notable figure was Kirah Prithvi Singh, an Indian prince and military leader who ruled the princely state of Kishangarh in the early 19th century. He was known for his patronage of the arts and his efforts in promoting the distinctive Kishangarh style of Rajput painting.
While the name Kirah may have been more prevalent in ancient times, it has remained a unique and intriguing choice throughout history, carrying with it a sense of strength, fortification, and cultural richness from its Hebrew origins.
People
Kirah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kirah 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
Kirah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kirah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,001 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kirah 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 342,412 US residents.
Is Kirah a common name?
We classify Kirah as "Rare". It ranks above 90.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,018 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kirah most popular?
The single biggest year for Kirah was 2007, when 57 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kirah is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kirah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kirah 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.