Girl name · Irish Gaelic
Ciara
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: dark oneCiara is a girl's name that comes from Irish Gaelic and means "dark one". It is used in Irish.
- Meaning
- Dark one
- Origin
- Irish Gaelic
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- KEER-a
Meaning and origin of Ciara
As a girl's name, Ciara comes from Irish Gaelic and means "dark one". It is used in Irish.
Say it KEER-a. Say it KEER-ah. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Ciara on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Ciara on 4 lists.
“Irish for dark-haired or dark; say KEER-ah”
From Black cat names, black cat names for females
“Dark one; Irish. Say KEER-a. A feminine form of Ciar”
From Gothic names, names that mean dark, night or raven
“Dark one, from ciar, black; Irish Gaelic. Say KEER-a.”
From Irish girl names, popular Irish girl names
“Dark one; Irish, from ciar, dark. Say KEER-ah”
From Names that mean shadow, girl names that mean shadow or darkness
How popular is Ciara?
- US rank in 2025
- #1,408
- 155 babies, 96 per million girls
- Best rank
- #149 in 2005
- 2,325 babies that year
- Babies since 1972
- At least 34,876
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 0 per million |
| 1920s | 0 per million |
| 1930s | 0 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 0 per million |
| 1960s | 0 per million |
| 1970s | 15 per million |
| 1980s | 259 per million |
| 1990s | 726 per million |
| 2000s | 652 per million |
| 2010s | 228 per million |
| 2020s | 112 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #869 | #1,054 | #1,006 | #1,170 | #1,216 | #1,144 | #1,248 | #1,332 | #1,358 | #1,408 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Ciara
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- CiarBlack, dark (Irish Gaelic, unisex)
- KeiraDark one (Irish Gaelic, girl)
Names spelled like Ciara
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- ClaraClear, bright (Latin, girl)
- CaraFriend in Irish; beloved in Italian (Irish and Italian, girl)
- CharaJoy, happiness (Greek, girl)
- ChiaraClear, bright (Latin, girl)
- CarlaFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- CoraMaiden, young girl (Greek, girl)
- CataPet form of Catalina (Spanish, girl)
- CharnaBlack (Yiddish, girl)
- CharoPet form of Rosario (Spanish, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- MelaniaBlack, dark (Greek, girl)
- MelanieBlack, dark (Greek, girl)
- DonovanDark brown (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- DouglasDark river (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- DoyleDescendant of the dark stranger (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- DuffDark (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- KedarDark (Hebrew, boy)
- KieranLittle dark one (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- MauriceDark-skinned, Moorish (Latin, boy)
- AdhamBlack, dark (Arabic, boy)
Middle names for Ciara
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
- BriarThorny shrub (Old English, unisex)
- DahliaFlower named for botanist Anders Dahl (Swedish, girl)
- EstelleA star (Latin, girl)
- GabrielleGod is my strength (Hebrew, girl)
- LydiaWoman from Lydia (Greek, girl)
- MargaretA pearl (Greek, girl)
- PaigeYoung servant, page (Old French, girl)
- RosamundHorse protection (Germanic, girl)
More girl names from Irish Gaelic
- RoryRed king (Irish Gaelic, unisex)
- BridgetExalted one (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- BridieExalted one (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- BrigitteExalted one (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- CaseyVigilant, watchful (Irish Gaelic, unisex)
- CassidyCurly-haired (Irish Gaelic, unisex)
- DymphnaLittle fawn (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- ErinOf Ireland (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- KennedyFrom an Irish surname, from Cennétig, armoured or misshapen head (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- KerryCiar's people (Irish Gaelic, unisex)
Ciara: common questions
What does the name Ciara mean?
Ciara comes from Irish Gaelic and means "dark one".
Is Ciara a boy or girl name?
Ciara is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Ciara come from?
Ciara comes from Irish Gaelic and means "dark one". Today it is used in Irish.
How do you pronounce Ciara?
Say KEER-a. Say KEER-ah. Pronunciation can vary between languages and regions.
How popular is the name Ciara?
Ciara ranked #1,408 in the US in 2025, with 155 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Ciara?
Forms of Ciara with the same meaning and origin include Ciar (Irish) and Keira (English).
What middle names go with Ciara?
Middle names that flow well with Ciara include Briar, Dahlia, Estelle, Gabrielle and Lydia. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.