Killian or Kilian, as a
given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...
, is an
Anglicized
Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...
version of the
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
name . The name was borne by several early Irish saints including missionaries to Artois and
Franconia
Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch'').
The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper Fr ...
and the author of the life of
St Brigid
Saint Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland ( ga, Naomh Bríd; la, Brigida; 525) is the patroness saint (or 'mother saint') of Ireland, and one of its three national saints along with Patrick and Columba. According to medieval Irish hagiogra ...
.
The name is said to derive from
Saint Kilian
Kilian, also spelled Cillian or Killian (or alternatively ga, Cillín; la, Kilianus), was an Irish missionary bishop and the Apostle of Franconia (Franconia is nowadays the northern part of Bavaria), where he began his labours in the latter ha ...
, an Irish missionary to Germany in the 7th century, who, according to the
Acta Sanctorum
''Acta Sanctorum'' (''Acts of the Saints'') is an encyclopedic text in 68 folio volumes of documents examining the lives of Christian saints, in essence a critical hagiography, which is organised according to each saint's feast day. The project w ...
, was born in
Mullagh, County Cavan, Ireland c. 640. He departed for his mission to the continent with 12 apostles from Kilmacologue in the parish of
Tuosist
Tuosist () is a civil parish in the far south of County Kerry, Ireland. It shares the Béara Peninsula with the neighbouring parishes of County Cork, and the Caha Mountains form the county border. The nearest town is Kenmare. The parish i ...
, County Kerry, Ireland. In 689, he was martyred in
Würzburg
Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River.
Würzburg is ...
, Franconia, Germany, and subsequently became the city's patron saint.
The most likely meaning of the name is 'little church', a reference to someone prayerful or spiritual, meaning 'church' in the
Irish language
Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
, while the suffix is used affectionately to indicate a "pet" or diminutive status. Patrick Woulfe wrote that is a diminutive of which means 'war', 'strife', or 'bright-headed'.
Notable people named Cillian
*
Cillian Buckley
Cillian Buckley (born 14 July 1992) is an Irish hurler who plays for Kilkenny Senior Championship club Dicksboro and at inter-county level with the Kilkenny senior hurling team. He usually lines out as a left wing-back.
Playing career St Kie ...
(born 1992), an Irish hurler
*
Cillian Farrell
Cillian Farrell (born 1977 in Edenderry, County Offaly, Ireland) is an Irish hurling manager and former dual player. He is the former manager of the Meath senior hurling team.
A dual player at the highest levels, Farrell had a successful pla ...
(born 1977), an Irish hurling manager
*
Cillian McDaid
Cillian McDaid (born 14 August 1997) is an Irish Gaelic footballer for Monivea Abbey and Galway.
Career
He played Australian rules football with Carlton. He had a two-year professional contract which ended in 2018.
He scored a goal and two po ...
(born 1997), an Irish Gaelic and Australian rules footballer
*
Cillian Morrison
Cillian Morrison (born 1991/12) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who has played for St Eunan's and the Donegal county team. He has also played association football in the League of Ireland.
Early life
Morrison is from Glebe in Letterkenny. His f ...
, an Irish Gaelic footballer
*
Cillian Murphy
Cillian Murphy (; born 25 May 1976) is an Irish actor. Originally the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the rock band The Sons of Mr. Green Genes, he turned down a record deal in the late 1990s and began acting on stage and in short and ...
(born 1976), an Irish actor
*
Cillian O'Connor
Cillian O'Connor (born 1992) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Ballintubber and the Mayo county team. O'Connor is the leading all-time top scorer in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.
Career
O'Connor made his Ballintub ...
(born 1992), a Gaelic footballer for Mayo
*
Cillian Ryan
Professor Cillian Ryan is an academic economist and pro vice-chancellor at Nottingham Trent University.
Career
Ryan received his BA and MA in economics from University College Dublin and his Ph.D. from the University of Western Ontario. Prior to h ...
, an economist and Pro Vice-Chancellor International, Nottingham Trent University
*
Cillian Sheridan
Cillian Sheridan (born 23 February 1989) is an Irish professional footballer who plays for Scottish Championship side Dundee.
Sheridan began his career with Celtic in 2006, but a lack of first team opportunities saw him being loaned to other ...
(born 1987), an Irish professional footballer who plays for Kilmarnock
*
Cillian Twomey
Cillian Twomey is a retired Irish geriatric medical consultant.
Twomey was President of the Irish Medical Organisation for 1989–1990, and former Chairman of its Consultant Committee. He was President of the European Union of Medical Speciali ...
, a retired consultant physician in geriatric medicine at Cork University and St. Finbarr’s Hospital, Cork, Ireland
*
Cillian Vallely
Cillian Vallely is an Irish musician, born in Armagh, Northern Ireland. He plays traditional Irish music on the uilleann pipes and low whistle, and studied at the Armagh Pipers Club with his mother and father, Brian and Eithne, and then with th ...
, an Irish musician
*
Cillian Willis
Cillian Willis (born 19 January 1985) is a former professional rugby union footballer. His primary position was scrum-half.
He was born in Dublin and educated at Blackrock College in Williamstown and University College Dublin, where in 2006 he ...
(born 1985), a professional rugby union footballer employed by Leinster Rugby
Notable people named Killian
*
Killian Brady
Killian 'Gunner' Brady (born 17 September 1990) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for the Cavan county team. He plays his club football with Mullahoran.
Playing career Club
On 30 September 2012, Brady started at full back against Kings ...
(born 1990), an Irish Gaelic footballer
*
Killian Brennan
Killian Brennan (born 31 January 1984) is an Irish retired footballer who played as a midfielder in the League of Ireland Premier Division.
Career
Early career
Noted for his wing play and ability to fire in accurate crosses, Brennan was signe ...
, an Irish footballer currently with the League of Ireland club St Patrick's Athletic
*
Killian Clarke
Killian Clarke (born 19 September 1993) is a Gaelic footballer from Shercock, County Cavan, Republic of Ireland; who plays with his club Shercock and for the Cavan county team. He is one of a small number of latter-day Cavan players to have w ...
(born 1993), an Irish Gaelic footballer
*
Killian Dain
Damian Mackle (born 20 February 1985) is an Irish professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Killian Dain and since his departure from WWE he has reverted back to his ring name on the indep ...
, ring name of Northern Irish professional wrestler Damian Mackle
*
Killian Donnelly
Killian Donnelly (born 25 June 1984) is an Irish tenor. He has appeared in musicals and plays, such as ''Les Misérables'', ''The Phantom of the Opera'', '' The Commitments'', ''Memphis'' and '' Kinky Boots''.
Background
Donnelly is from Kilme ...
, an Irish-born musical theatre performer
*
Aldrich Killian
Aldrich Killian is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in ''Iron Man (comic book), Iron Man'' vol. 4 #1 (Jan. 2005 in comics, 2005) and was created by Warren Ellis and Adi Grano ...
, supervillain and main antagonist of ''
Iron Man 3
''Iron Man 3'' (titled onscreen as ''Iron Man Three'') is a 2013 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to ''Ir ...
''
*
Dan A. Killian
Dan Arnold Killian (February 5, 1880 – January 15, 1953) was an American college football and college baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at Louisiana State University (LSU) from 1904 to 1906, compiling a record of 8–6–2. K ...
, American college sports coach
*
Edwin Henry Killian (1876–1928), a Major League Baseball pitcher primarily of the Detroit Tigers
*
Eugene H. Killian
Eugene H. Killian (December 1, 1873 – February 19, 1943) was an American printer, newspaper man, and politician.
Born in Watertown, Wisconsin, Killian was a linotype printer and wrote several articles about Watertown for the Watertown Daily ...
(1873–1943), an American politician
*
George E. Killian, a sports administrator and currently the president of the International University Sports Federation
*
Gustav Killian Gustav Killian (2 June 1860 – 24 February 1921) was a German laryngologist and founder of the bronchoscopy.
Life and death
His father Johann Baptist Caesar Killian (1820–1889), the son of a ''städtischen Wegeaufsehers'' an urban way overseer, ...
(1860–1921), a German laryngologist for whom
Killian's dehiscence
Killian's dehiscence (also known as Killian's triangle) is a triangular area in the wall of the pharynx between the cricopharyngeus and thyropharyngeus which are the two parts of the inferior constrictors(also see Pharyngeal pouch). It can be seen ...
is named
*
James Rhyne Killian
James Rhyne Killian Jr. (July 24, 1904 – January 29, 1988) was the 10th president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from 1948 until 1959.
Early life
Killian was born on July 24, 1904, in Blacksburg, South Carolina. His father w ...
(1904–1988), the 11th president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
*
Jerry B. Killian
The Killian documents controversy (also referred to as Memogate or Rathergate) involved six documents containing false allegations about President George W. Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard in 1972–73, allegedly typed in 1973. Da ...
, an officer in the Texas Air National Guard in the early 1970s, to whom Lieutenant George W. Bush was a subordinate
*
Richard Killian
Richard Daniel "Ric" Killian is an American businessman, United States Army officer, and politician who served as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from 2007 to 2013.
Early life, education, and business career
Killian was ...
, an American businessman and politician
*
Robert K. Killian
Robert Kenneth Killian (September 15, 1919 – June 25, 2005) was an American politician from Connecticut.
Early life and education
Killian was born in Hartford in 1919. He served as a first lieutenant in the United States Army for four years ...
(1919–2005), an American politician from the state of Connecticut
*
Killian Scott
Cillian Damien Murphy (born 6 July 1985) is an Irish actor, better known professionally as Killian Scott. He first came to prominence for his role as Tommy in the RTÉ One series '' Love/Hate''.
Early life
The youngest of six children, Scott g ...
, an Irish actor
*
Killian K. Van Rensselaer
Killian Killian Van Rensselaer (June 9, 1763 – June 18, 1845) was an American lawyer and Federalist politician who served in the United States Congress as a Representative from the state of New York.
Early life
Killian Killian Van Ren ...
(1763–1845), member of the United States House of Representatives from New York
*
Killian Peier
Killian Peier (born 28 March 1995) is a Swiss ski jumper.
Career
He competed at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2013 in Val di Fiemme, where he placed 10th in the team jumping with the Swiss team. He represented Switzerland at the FIS Nor ...
, Swiss ski jumper, 2019 World Championships medalist
*
Killian Tillie
Killian Wiard Tillie (born 5 March 1998) is a French professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Listed at and , he plays the power forward and center positions. Tillie joi ...
(born 1998), French basketball player
*
Killian Hayes
Killian Deron Antron Hayes (born July 27, 2001) is a French-American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing , he mainly plays the point guard and shooting guard positions.
T ...
(born 2001), American–French basketball player
Notable people named Kilian
*
Saint Kilian
Kilian, also spelled Cillian or Killian (or alternatively ga, Cillín; la, Kilianus), was an Irish missionary bishop and the Apostle of Franconia (Franconia is nowadays the northern part of Bavaria), where he began his labours in the latter ha ...
, an Irish missionary bishop and the apostle of Franconia
*
Kilian Elkinson
Kilian Joel Elkinson (born 2 April 1990; nicknamed Killa) is a Bermudian footballer who is a midfielder.
He played for the University of Toronto, and was OUA East Division MVP and CIS First Team All Canadian. He has played professionally ...
(born 1990), Bermudian footballer
*
Kílian Jornet Burgada
Kílian Jornet (; born 27 October 1987) is a Spanish professional sky runner, trail runner, ski mountaineer and long-distance runner. He is a six-time champion of the long-distance running Skyrunner World Series and has won some of the most ...
, a Spanish ski mountaineer, long-distance runner, mountain biker and duathlete
*
André Kilian
André Kilian (born 18 May 1987) is a German football coach and former player who played as a left-back or defensive midfielder.
Career
Kilian was born in Herne. He played in the Oberliga Westfalen and the Regionalliga West for FC Schalke 04 I ...
, a German-born footballer currently playing for North Queensland Fury
*
Caleb Kilian
Caleb John Kilian (born June 2, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022.
Amateur career
Kilian attended Flower Mound High School in Flower Mound, Texas ...
(born 1997), American baseball player
*
Crawford Kilian
Crawford Kilian (born February 7, 1941) is a Canadian novelist and a college professor. He is also the former public education columnist for the Vancouver Province newspaper. Kilian holds an undergraduate degree from Columbia University and master ...
, a Canadian novelist and a college professor
*
Hanns Kilian
Hans Kilian (alternate listings: Hanns Kilian, Hans Killian, or Hanns Killian (2 May 1905 – 17 April 1981) was a German bobsledder who competed from the late 1920s to the late 1930s. Competing in three Winter Olympics, he won ...
(1905–1981), a German bobsledder who competed from the late 1920s to the late 1930
*
Inge Kilian (born 1935), a German high jumper
*
John Kilian
John Kilian also german: link=no, Johann Kilian, hsb, Jan Kilian (March 22, 1811 – September 12, 1884) was a Lutheran pastor and leader of the colony known as the Wends of Texas.
Background
John Kilian was born in Doehlen, in the King ...
(1811–1884), a Lutheran pastor and leader of the colony known as the Wends of Texas
*
Michael Kilian
Michael David Kilian (16 July 1939 – 26 October 2005) was a journalist and author. He was born in Toledo, Ohio and raised in Chicago and Westchester, New York. Kilian died on 26 October 2005 from illness and was interred at Arlington Nationa ...
(1939–2005), author and journalist primarily for the Chicago Tribune in Washington, D.C
*
Victor Kilian
Victor Arthur Kilian (March 6, 1891 – March 11, 1979) was an American actor who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses in the 1950s.
Early life, career, and homicide
Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Victor Kilian began his ...
(1891–1979), an American actor blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio in the 1950s
*
Wiesław Kilian, a Polish politician
Notable people named Kylian
*
Kylian Hazard
Kylian Hazard (; born 5 August 1995) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for RWDM. He has two older brothers, Eden and Thorgan, and one younger, Ethan, all of whom are footballers.
Early life
Hazard was b ...
, a Belgian footballer
*
Kylian Mash (born 1983), French DJ and record producer
*
Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé Lottin (born 20 December 1998) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and the France national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is renowned for his dribb ...
, a French footballer
Notable people named Killion
*
John Joseph Killion (1859–1937), known as Jake Kilrain, a famous bare knuckle fighter and glove boxer of the 1880s
*
Kyle Killion
Kyle Killion (born February 1, 1984) is a former American football linebacker. His father J.K. Killion played tight end for the Oklahoma Sooners from 1970 to 1974. Killion grew up in Kingwood, Texas, a suburb of Houston, and played for the Indian ...
, an American football linebacker
*
Redley A. Killion, a Micronesian politician
*
Sean Killion
Sean Thomas Killion (born October 24, 1967) is an American former competition swimmer and Pan American Games gold medalist, who represented the United States at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Killion was born in Camden, New Jersey, and spent his earl ...
, an American swimmer
*
Tom Killion
Thomas H. Killion (born 1957) is an American politician. A Republican, he was a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 9th Senatorial District from 2016 until 2020. He previously served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Represen ...
, an American politician from Pennsylvania
References
{{given name
Irish masculine given names
Masculine given names