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Kilian

Boy name · 19 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Kilian: 19 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to boys, peaking at 6 births in 2019.

Kilian is the German and Scandinavian form of the Irish name Cillian, derived from the Old Irish *ceallach*, meaning "church" or "monastic cell," or possibly from *ceall* meaning "war" or "strife." The most famous bearer is Saint Kilian, a 7th-century Irish missionary who evangelised in Franconia (modern-day Germany) and became the patron saint of Würzburg. The name also gained modern visibility through actor Kilian Murphy, though he spells it Cillian. While no direct place is named for the saint, the German city of Würzburg honours him in its cathedral and annual Kilian festival. A notable variant is Killian, the more common English spelling, which has risen in popularity alongside Cillian in Scotland since the 1990s.