A name. A world of connections.

Keir

“dark”

Language contexts for this entry: English, French

masculineLatin script

/kɛː/ · English (East Anglia, cheer–chair merger)

Recorded routes: Scottish Gaelic or Old Norse
2 language contexts: English French
Follow the evidence: 4 cited sources Source-reported

01 / Meaning & origin

About Keir

Keir is a masculine given name documented in English and French. English Wiktionary records Scottish Gaelic or Old Norse as source languages, with the stated meaning “dark”.

Scottish Gaelic or Old Norse source routes

Source-reported

Meaning: “dark”

Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic ciar (“dark”) or Old Norse [Term?]. Hanks (2006) derived the name from Pictish/Proto-Brythonic *kaɨr (“a fort”), possibly via Scots keir.

Explore the recorded source languages

The source records Scottish Gaelic or Old Norse as alternative source languages. A particular use of the name may follow one of these routes.

Scottish Gaelic
Old Norse

Older roots and any uncertainty are explained in the complete cited passage.

Read the cited Wiktionary entry

Sources for this account (3)

Wiktionary: KeirCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Greek Wiktionary: KeirCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
French Wiktionary: KeirCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14

02 / Across borders

Where Keir is used

Explore published naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.

The name atlas

Across borders

countries in our sources

Select a country to follow Keir’s connections around the world.

4 countries with published statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.

Selected country

United States

Statistics + language records

United States, 2025: 7 boys (rank 9714). Documented as a given name in English.

Explore United States

4 of 13 countries

03 / By the numbers

Popularity over time

Follow the spelling through the years, one published dataset at a time.

United States

1880–2025 Spelling: Keir

Region and dataset

Latest · 2025: 7; applications; Rank #9,714
Peak year: 1970; 63 applications

Hover to explore a year. Use arrow keys when a chart point has focus.

Source: US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)

Integer application counts retained without rounding.

Per million is unavailable: this source has no matching published total.

Show the data table

Keir in United States, boys: applications and rank by year
Year	Applications	Rank	Status
1880	no value	no value	not covered
1881	no value	no value	not covered
1882	no value	no value	not covered
1883	no value	no value	not covered
1884	no value	no value	not covered
1885	no value	no value	not covered
1886	no value	no value	not covered
1887	no value	no value	not covered
1888	no value	no value	not covered
1889	no value	no value	not covered
1890	no value	no value	not covered
1891	no value	no value	not covered
1892	no value	no value	not covered
1893	no value	no value	not covered
1894	no value	no value	not covered
1895	no value	no value	not covered
1896	no value	no value	not covered
1897	no value	no value	not covered
1898	no value	no value	not covered
1899	no value	no value	not covered
1900	no value	no value	not covered
1901	no value	no value	not covered
1902	no value	no value	not covered
1903	no value	no value	not covered
1904	no value	no value	not covered
1905	no value	no value	not covered
1906	no value	no value	not covered
1907	no value	no value	not covered
1908	no value	no value	not covered
1909	no value	no value	not covered
1910	no value	no value	not covered
1911	no value	no value	not covered
1912	no value	no value	not covered
1913	no value	no value	not covered
1914	no value	no value	not covered
1915	no value	no value	not covered
1916	no value	no value	not covered
1917	no value	no value	not covered
1918	no value	no value	not covered
1919	no value	no value	not covered
1920	no value	no value	not covered
1921	no value	no value	not covered
1922	no value	no value	not covered
1923	no value	no value	not covered
1924	no value	no value	not covered
1925	no value	no value	not covered
1926	no value	no value	not covered
1927	no value	no value	not covered
1928	no value	no value	not covered
1929	no value	no value	not covered
1930	no value	no value	not covered
1931	no value	no value	not covered
1932	no value	no value	not covered
1933	no value	no value	not covered
1934	no value	no value	not covered
1935	no value	no value	not covered
1936	no value	no value	not covered
1937	no value	no value	not covered
1938	no value	no value	not covered
1939	no value	no value	not covered
1940	no value	no value	not covered
1941	no value	no value	not covered
1942	no value	no value	not covered
1943	no value	no value	not covered
1944	no value	no value	not covered
1945	no value	no value	not covered
1946	no value	no value	not covered
1947	no value	no value	not covered
1948	no value	no value	not covered
1949	no value	no value	not covered
1950	no value	no value	not covered
1951	no value	no value	not covered
1952	no value	no value	not covered
1953	no value	no value	not covered
1954	no value	no value	not covered
1955	no value	no value	not covered
1956	no value	no value	not covered
1957	no value	no value	not covered
1958	no value	no value	not covered
1959	no value	no value	not covered
1960	no value	no value	not covered
1961	no value	no value	not covered
1962	no value	no value	not covered
1963	13	2,300	observed
1964	21	1,729	observed
1965	6	3,537	observed
1966	12	2,327	observed
1967	6	3,559	observed
1968	28	1,478	observed
1969	45	1,168	observed
1970	63	1,023	observed
1971	46	1,214	observed
1972	32	1,508	observed
1973	17	2,311	observed
1974	22	1,983	observed
1975	20	2,205	observed
1976	25	1,932	observed
1977	23	2,063	observed
1978	9	3,857	observed
1979	16	2,777	observed
1980	12	3,430	observed
1981	17	2,680	observed
1982	9	4,234	observed
1983	17	2,676	observed
1984	10	3,925	observed
1985	20	2,504	observed
1986	9	4,457	observed
1987	18	2,838	observed
1988	13	3,705	observed
1989	14	3,809	observed
1990	25	2,628	observed
1991	17	3,462	observed
1992	15	3,920	observed
1993	17	3,661	observed
1994	13	4,537	observed
1995	16	3,854	observed
1996	21	3,293	observed
1997	14	4,451	observed
1998	16	4,197	observed
1999	17	4,162	observed
2000	15	4,785	observed
2001	12	5,667	observed
2002	10	6,522	observed
2003	16	4,815	observed
2004	12	6,138	observed
2005	16	5,034	observed
2006	19	4,675	observed
2007	7	9,788	observed
2008	16	5,487	observed
2009	10	7,692	observed
2010	5	12,231	observed
2011	13	6,256	observed
2012	10	7,559	observed
2013	15	5,659	observed
2014	16	5,485	observed
2015	21	4,545	observed
2016	5	12,185	observed
2017	12	6,685	observed
2018	11	7,136	observed
2019	12	6,777	observed
2020	12	6,620	observed
2021	17	5,338	observed
2022	20	4,850	observed
2023	17	5,470	observed
2024	13	6,469	observed
2025	7	9,714	observed

About this dataset and its counting rules

Statistics count the spelling “Keir” as recorded by the publisher. When a spelling has several independent origins, the counts are not split between them. Counts measure applications. Gaps are years without a published value, not zeros.

Rates per million are unavailable for this series because no compatible denominator has been imported.

Universe: US national Social Security card applications by name, sex and birth year; not a complete birth registry, especially before 1937.
Rounding: Integer application counts retained without rounding.
Suppression: Only names with at least 5 occurrences in a year and sex are included. Missing observations are not zeros.
Ranking: computed by NameStoria from published counts; ties share a rank, next rank skips. The mirror's derived rank column is not used.

Retrieved 2026-10-15 · CC0-1.0

Read our methodology

04 / Through time

History

Notable bearers

People recorded with this given name in Wikidata. Their names may use a different spelling, or include it as a middle or baptismal name.

Keir Starmer
born 1962
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2024 to 2026
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Keir Hardie
1856–1915
Scottish socialist and labour leader (1856–1915)
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Keir Dullea
born 1936
American actor
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Keir Gilchrist
born 1992
Canadian actor
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Keir O'Donnell
born 1978
Australian–American actor
Wikipedia Wikidata source

A little story to keep

A name worth keeping.

Take the story of Keir with you. Create a personal name passport with its meaning, roots and connections.

06 / Behind the facts

Sources for this page

Review status: Source-reported — no editorial review recorded yet. Last data change 2026-10-16.

Name origins & languageDictionaries, name records and related forms4

Wikidata Q22340906CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wiktionary: KeirCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
French Wiktionary: KeirCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Greek Wiktionary: KeirCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Statistics and surveysPublishers, dataset licences and retrieval dates5

SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)
US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
National Records of Scotland — Babies' First Names: all first forenames given to 3 or more babies, Scotland, 1974-2025
National Records of Scotland (NRS) · OGL-UK-3.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
South Australia — Popular Baby Names, per-year lists including names given once, 1944-2017
Attorney-General's Department, South Australia (via data.sa.gov.au) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
British Columbia — 100 Years of Popular Baby Names (first names used 5 or more times), 1926-2025
Government of British Columbia, Vital Statistics Agency · OGL-BC (Open Government License - British Columbia; version not stated on the page) · retrieved 2026-10-15
NISRA — First Forenames Given to Babies Registered in Northern Ireland, 1997-2025 (full list)
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) · OGL-UK-3.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Wiktionary text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata: CC0. Commons recordings retain their individual file licences. Complete attribution is available in each group above and alongside each chart.

A story to pass on.

About Keir

Scottish Gaelic or Old Norse source routes

Where Keir is used

Across borders

United States

Popularity over time

United States

History

Notable bearers

Keir Starmer

Keir Hardie

Keir Dullea

Keir Gilchrist

Keir O'Donnell

Related names

Different forms. Shared stories.

Meet the family

Related names in the catalogue

Kier

A name worth keeping.

Sources for this page