Kira is a mostly feminine name of multiple origins and meanings. The feminine form is pronounced or . It might be a feminine form of the name Kiran, pronounced . Kiran is of Hindi and Sanskrit origin, meaning "beam of light". In Ancient Hebrew "Keren" means both "a horn" and "a beam of light". Besides Sanskrit and Hebrew there might be other etymologies from Egyptian, where the word Ki-Ra means "like Ra", or Persian. Due to the Greek interpretation of the Persian king's name Kourosh (کوروش, ''Kūrosh'') as Κύρος (''Kýros'') – which was obviously modeled after the Greek word κύριος (''kýrios'' "lord"), the feminine form being κυρία (''kyría'') – Kyra (or Kira) can also be understood as a variant. Therefore, it is also in use as a feminine form of the Greek diminutive form

Cyril Cyril (also Cyrillus or Cyryl) is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Greek name Κύριλλος (''Kýrillos''), meaning 'lordly, masterful', which in turn derives from Greek κυριος (''kýrios'') 'lord'. There are various varian ...

. In Russian Kira () is the feminine form of the masculine name Kir, meaning "mistress, ruler", but can translate to "leader of the people", "one the people look to" or "beloved". Kira could also have arrived into Russian from the Persian-Greek name Kyra. Kira can also be the

diminutive A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...

of the old and rare masculine given name Avvakir.Н. А. Петровский (N. A. Petrovsky). "Словарь русских личных имён" (''Dictionary of Russian First Names''). ООО Издательство "АСТ". Москва, 2005. . page 31 Kira is one of several Anglicized forms of the Irish name

Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...

, which in Irish means "dark haired". Kira also means "Strong Woman" in Slavonic. There is also a Japanese name, romanized as ''Kira'', which is common in Japan, as both given name and family name (e.g. the Kira clan of Mikawa province). ''Kira kira'' also means "glittery, shiny" in Japanese. Variant forms include Kaira, Keera, Keira, Kiera, Kyra, Kyrah, Kyreena, Kyrha, Kyria, Kyrie, Kyrene, Kyrra, and Kirra.

People

* Kira Banasińska (1899-2002), Polish humanitarian * Kira Bertrand (born 1992), Dominican-Canadian footballer * Kira Bilecky (born 1986), American-Peruvian footballer *

Kira Bousloff Kira Abricossova Bousloff (1914–2001) was a dancer with Ballets Russes who toured Australia in 1938 and stayed, divorcing first husband Serge Bousloff then marrying (and divorcing) James Penberthy while having a significant influence on the ev ...

(1914-2001), Russian-Australian dancer *

Kira Brunton Kira Michaela Brunton (born March 17, 1999) is a Canadian curler originally from Sudbury, Ontario. She currently plays third on Team Danielle Inglis. In 2015, she won the gold medal at the 2015 Canada Winter Games playing third for Megan Smit ...

(born 1999), Canadian curler *

Kira Buckland Kira Buckland (born July 16, 1987) is an American voice actress, who has provided voices for English dubbed Japanese anime, cartoons, and video games. Some of her major roles are Jolyne Cujoh in '' JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean,'' 2B in ...

(born 1987), American voice actress *

Kira Bulten Kira Bulten (born May 12, 1973 in Elburg, Gelderland) is a former breaststroke swimmer from the Netherlands, who competed for her native country at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There she was eliminated in the heats of the 100&nbs ...

(born 1973), Dutch Olympic swimmer * Kira Bursky, American filmmaker *

Kira Carstensen Kira Carstensen is a documentary film maker. On January 24, 2012, she was nominated for an Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film in ...

, American documentary filmmaker * Kira Chathli (born 1999), English cricketer *

Kira Chikazane was a senior retainer under the Chōsokabe clan, during the late Sengoku period of Feudal Japan The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after ...

(1563-1588), Japanese senior retainer *

Kira Cochrane Kira Cochrane (; born 1977) is a British journalist and novelist. She is the Head of Features at ''The Guardian,'' and worked previously as Head of Opinion. Cochrane is an advocate for women's rights, as well as an active participant in fourth ...

(born 1977), British journalist * Kira Davis, American film producer * Kira Danganan-Azucena, Filipino diplomat *

Kira Eggers Kira Eggers (born November 29, 1974) is a former model with an international career. She worked for Playboy TV, The Sun and other firms. Eggers is former guest editor for FHM. In 2006 her memoir, ''The Naked Truth'', was published by Aschenhoug. ...

(born 1974), Danish model *

Kira Geil Kira Geil (born 12 June 1985 in Bridgend, Wales) is a former competitive ice dancer who represented Austria with Tobias Eisenbauer Tobias Eisenbauer (born 6 February 1991) is an Austrian Ice dancing, ice dancer. With partner Kira Geil, he is ...

(born 1985), Austrian ice dancer *

Kira Golovko ) , birth_date = , birth_place = Yessentuki, Russian SFSR , death_date = , death_place = Moscow, Russia , restingplace = , restingplacecoordinates = , othername ...

(1919–2017), Russian actress * Kira Nam Greene, Korean-American painter * Kira Grünberg (born 1993), Austrian politician *

Kira Hagi Kira Hagi (born 31 March 1996) is a Romanian actress. She was born in Barcelona, Spain. Her first theatre actuation was ''Fetița cu chibrituri'' ("The girl with matches"). She subsequently also acted on the and the Very Small Theatre of Buchar ...

(born 1996), Romanian actress *

Kira Hall Kira Hall (born 1962, Birmingham, Alabama) is professor of Linguistics and Anthropology, as well as director for the Program in Culture, Language, and Social Practice (CLASP), at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The majority of Hall's wor ...

(born 1962), American anthropologist *

Kira Lynn Harris Kira Lynn Harris (born 1963) is an African-American mixed-media artist who currently lives and teaches in New York City. Life Kira Lynn Harris was born in 1963 in Los Angeles, California. Harris received her BA in Studio Art from the University ...

(born 1963), American artist * Kira Henehan (born 1974), American author * Kira Horn (born 1995), German field hockey player * Kira Hurley (born 1986), Canadian professional ice hockey player * Kira Inugami, Japanese manga artist *

Kira Isabella Kira Isabella Wilkie, who is known by her stage name Kira Isabella is a Canadian country music artist. Isabella was signed to Sony Music Canada in 2009. Her first single, "Love Me Like That", was released in 2011 and charted on the Canadian Hot 10 ...

(born 1993), Canadian country music artist *

Kira Ivanova Kira Valentinovna Ivanova (russian: Кира Валентиновна Иванова; 10 January 1963 – 18 December 2001) was a Soviet Russian figure skater. She was the 1984 Olympic bronze medalist, the 1985 World silver medalist, a four ...

(1963–2001), Russian figure skater * Kira Jääskeläinen (born 1979), Polish film director * Kira Kattenbeck (born 1992), German badminton player *

Kira Kazantsev Kira Dixon (née Kazantsev; born July 20, 1991) is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss America 2015 on September 14, 2014. She is the third consecutive Miss America winner from New York and had won the title of Miss New York on ...

(born 1991), Russian-American beauty queen *

Kira Kelly Kira Kelly is an American cinematographer. She is perhaps best known for her work on ''13th'', which earned her an Emmy Award nomination, and the cable series ''Queen Sugar''. Career Kelly is a graduate of Northwestern University with a major ...

, American cinematographer *

Kiira Korpi Kiira Linda Katriina Korpi (; born 26 September 1988) is a Finnish figure skater. She is a three-time European medalist (bronze in 2007 and 2011, silver in 2012), the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard champion, the 2012 Rostelecom Cup champion, a two-ti ...

, Finnish skater (Kiira is a Finnish variant of the name) *

Kira Kosarin Kira Nicole Kosarin (born October 7, 1997) is an American actress and singer, known for her role as Phoebe Thunderman on the Nickelodeon series ''The Thundermans''. On April 10, 2019, she independently released her debut album, ''Off Brand'', la ...

(born 1997), American actress * Kira Kovalenko (born 1989), Russian film director *

Kira Kreylis-Petrova Kira Alexandrovna Kreylis-Petrova (russian: Кира Александровна Крейлис-Петрова; 1 July 1931 – 12 May 2021) was a Soviet and Russian stage, television, and film actress. She was an Honored Artist of Russia (1993). ...

(1931–2021), Russian theater actress * Kira Lewis Jr. (born 2001), American basketball player * Kira Lipperheide (born 2000), German bobsledder * Kira Makarova, Estonian-American researcher *

Kira Maria Kira Maria ( bg, Кира Мария), or only Maria, was a Bulgarian empress consort, first wife of Ivan Shishman (r. 1371–1395). There are almost no historical sources about her. Her name is mentioned in the ''Boril obituary'' in the following ...

, Bulgarian empress consort *

Kira Miró Kira García-Beltrán Miró (born March 13, 1980, in Santa Brígida, Las Palmas, Gran Canaria) is a Spanish actress and TV presenter. She is the daughter of Spanish businessman Jose García Beltrán, known by the nickname Pepe, and Marta Miró ...

(born 1980), Spanish actress and a presenter * Kira Mozgalova (born 1982), Russian Olympic athlete *

Kira Muratova , honorific_suffix = People's Artist of Ukraine , birth_date = , birth_place = Soroca, Kingdom of Romania(now Moldova) , death_date = , death_place = Odessa, Ukraine , birth_name = Kira Gueórguievn ...

(born 1934), Soviet and Ukrainian film director, screenwriter, and actress *

Kira Nagy Kira Nagy (born 29 December 1977) is a former professional tennis player from Hungary. She won 18 singles and ten doubles titles on tournaments of the ITF Circuit. Kira won her first match on the WTA Tour in 2007 at the Palermo Ladies Open, d ...

(born 1977), Hungarian tennis player *

Kira Narayanan Kira Narayanan is an Indian Actress and TV Presenter. She is best known for playing Aayat in "Jee Karda" on Amazon Prime Video, hosting ''Cricket Live'' on the Star Sports (Indian TV network), Star Sports Network and for playing the role of Pri ...

(born 1994), Indian film actress * Kira Obolensky, American playwright and author *

Kira O'Reilly Kira O'Reilly is a performance artist based in the UK. She graduated from Cardiff School of Art in 1998, and has participated in a number of performance art festivals throughout the UK and Europe, including at the Bonington Gallery, Nottingham Tren ...

, British performance artist * Kira Peikoff (born 1985), American journalist *

Kira Marie Peter-Hansen Kira Marie Peter-Hansen (born 23 February 1998) is a Danish politician. She is a Socialist People's Party (part of the Greens–European Free Alliance group) Member of the European Parliament (MEP) elected in the 2019 European parliamentary e ...

(born 1998), Danish politician * Kira Phillips (born 1995), Australian rules footballer * Kira Peikoff (born 1985), American journalist and novelist *

Kira Plastinina Kira Plastinina (russian: Ки́ра Серге́евна Пласти́нина) is a Russian fashion designer and entrepreneur. Her brand was sold through a now defunct chain of eponymous retail stores in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, ...

(born 1992), Russian fashion designer * Kira Poutanen (born 1974), Finnish writer and actress * Kira Borisovna Povarova (born 1933), Russian professor *

Kira Puru Kira Puru is a gender-fluid Australian musician. She is of Maori descent, her father being from the Tainui tribe, and grew up in Cardiff, New South Wales, near Newcastle. Puru has been described as "Señorita, swagger and a troublemaker" by Tr ...

, Australian musician * Kira Radinsky (born 1986), Israeli computer scientist *

Kira Reed Kira Katherine Reed also known as Kira Reed Lorsch, is an American actress, television host, writer, and producer. Early life Reed was born in Santa Clara, California, and by age five was performing in school plays and local dance recitals. By ...

(born 1971), American actress *

Kira Roessler Kira Roessler (born June 12, 1961) is an American musician and two-time Emmy Award-winning dialogue editor. She is best known as the bassist for the influential hardcore punk band Black Flag from 1983 to 1985. Since the mid-1980s, she has been ...

(born 1962), American musician *

Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia (9 May 1909 – 8 September 1967) was the second daughter of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia and Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She married Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia ...

(1909–1967), Russian grand duchess *

Kira Rudik Kira Oleksandrivna Rudyk (; born 14 October 1985) is a Ukrainian and European public and political figure, vice-president of the European transnational political party Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe since June 4, 2022, deputy of the ...

(born 1985), Ukrainian politician * Princess Kira of Prussia (1943–2004) *

Kira Salak Kira Salak (born September 4, 1971) is an American writer, adventurer, and journalist known for her travels in Mali and Papua New Guinea. She has written two books of nonfiction and a book of fiction based on her travels and is a contributing edi ...

(born 1971), American writer *

Kira Shashkina Kira Alexandrovna Shashkina (Russian: Кира Александровна Шашкина, ''Kira Aleksandrovna Shashkina'') is a Russian pianist and pedagogue. Many of her pupils became significant pianists and competition prizewinners, including ...

, Russian pianist * Kira Simon-Kennedy, American film producer *

Kira Skov Kira Skov (born 6 June 1976) is a Danish singer. She is best known for being the lead singer of rock band Kira & The Kindred Spirits. Early life Kira was born in the town of Rødovre, and became interested in classical music through her aunt ...

(born 1976), Danish singer *

Kira Soltanovich Kira Soltanovich ( ; born September 15, 1973, in Lviv, Ukraine) is an American comedian, writer, and actress. Soltanovich grew up in San Francisco and started performing stand-up in 1998. After graduating from San Diego State University with a d ...

(born 1973), Ukrainian comedian *

Kira Stepanova Kira Valeryevna Stepanova (russian: Кира Валерьевна Степанова; born 12 November 1993) is a Russian sprint canoeist. She competed in the women's K-2 500 metres event at the 2016 Summer Olympics ) , nations = 207 (incl ...

(born 1993), Russian Olympic athlete * Kira Sugiyama (1910–1988), Japanese photographer *

Kira Thurman Kira Thurman is an American historian and musicologist. She was a 2017 Anna-Maria Kellen Fellow. She is a classically trained pianist who grew up in Vienna. She graduated from University of Rochester and Eastman School of Music. She is a profe ...

, African-American historian *

Kira Toussaint Kira Marije Toussaint (born 22 May 1994) is a Dutch competitive swimmer who specialises in backstroke. She is the former world record holder in the short course 50 metre backstroke and the Dutch record holder in the long course 50 metre backstr ...

(born 1994), Dutch swimmer *

Kira Tozer Kira Tozer (born December 6, 1984) is a Canadian voice actress for cartoons, anime and video games. Her major roles include Minka Mark on ''Littlest Pet Shop'' and Kagome Higurashi in the 2012 anime, '' Inuyasha: The Final Act''. She married i ...

(born 1984), Canadian voice actress * Kira Trusova (born 1994), Russian handball player *

Kira Vincent-Davis Kira Vincent-Davis is an American voice actress best known for her work in English-language versions of Japanese anime. She voices Lucy/Nyu in ''Elfen Lied'', Anchovy in ''Girls und Panzer'', Izuna Hatsuse in ''No Game No Life'', Ayumu Kasuga in ...

(born 1979), American voice actress *

Kira Walkenhorst Kira Katharina Walkenhorst (born 18 November 1990) is a retired German beach volleyball player who played as a blocker. She has an older brother Alexander Walkenhorst who is a professional beach volleyball player and a younger sister Pia Walken ...

(born 1990), German beach volleyball player *

Kira Weidle Kira Weidle (born 24 February 1996) is a German World Cup alpine ski racer, specializing in the speed events of Downhill World Cup debut in January 2016 and attained her first podium Weidle won the silver medal in the downhill at the 2021 Wo ...

(born 1996), German alpine skier *

Kira Willey Kira Willey is an American children's music artist, author, children's yoga and mindfulness expert, speaker, and creator of Rockin’ Yoga school programs. Early life At the age of five, Willey started playing the violin and continued perform ...

, American musician *

Kira Yarmysh Kira Aleksandrovna Yarmysh (, ; born October 11, 1989) is a Russian public figure and writer. She is best known as the press secretary and assistant of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the author of the 2020 novel "Incredible Incide ...

(born 1989), Russian writer *

Kira Yoshinaka was a ''kōke'' (master of ceremonies). His court title was '' Kōzuke no suke (上野介)''. He is famous as the adversary of Asano Naganori in the events of the Forty-seven rōnin. Although his name (義央) has been long pronounced as "Yoshi ...

(1641-1703), Japanese politician *

Kira Zvorykina Kira Alekseyevna Zvorykina (, ; September 29, 1919 – September 6, 2014) was a Soviet chess player who spent many years living in Belarus. She was a three-time winner of the Women's Soviet Championship. In 2018, she was inducted into the World ...

(1919–2014), Soviet and Ukrainian chess player

Fictional characters

* Kira Argounova, the protagonist in

Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum;, . Most sources transliterate her given name as either ''Alisa'' or ''Alissa''. , 1905 – March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and p ...

's ''

We the Living ''We the Living'' is the debut novel of the Russian American novelist Ayn Rand. It is a story of life in post-revolutionary Russia and was Rand's first statement against communism. Rand observes in the foreword that ''We the Living'' was the cl ...

'' * Kira Aso, female protagonist in the Japanese manga ''

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

'' * Kira Carsen in the video game '' Star Wars: The Old Republic'' * Kira Daidohji in the video game series ''

Arcana Heart is a 2D arcade fighting game series developed by Team Arcana (originally co-owned with its former parent company Examu). The first edition was released to arcades (mostly in Japan, but a few in other countries) in late 2007. The games feature a ...

'' * Kira Finster in the Nickelodeon animated television series ''Rugrats'' and its spin-off ''All Grown Up!'' * Kira Ford (aka Yellow Dino Ranger) in ''Power Rangers: Dino Thunder'' * Kyra Hart in the WB/CW television series ''Reba'', played by Scarlett Pomers * Kira Marlowe in the television drama '' Flashpoint'', constable, Special Response Unit dispatcher, played by

Pascale Hutton Pascale Hutton (born June 14, 1979) is a Canadian actress. She was born in Creston, British Columbia. Hutton attended the conservatory acting program at the University of Alberta in Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadia ...

Kira Sakuratsuki is a light novel, visual novel and anime television series created by Hina Futaba and Mutsumi Sasaki. The anime aired in Japan in 2004. It replaced ''Sister Princess'' as ''Dengeki G's Magazine'' premiere flagship title. Story The story be ...

in the anime ''Futakoi'' * Sumeragi Kira in the anime ''

Uta no Prince-Sama is a Japanese multimedia franchise by Broccoli. The original game of the same name was first released on the PlayStation Portable on June 24, 2010, and since its release, the game has spawned multiple sequels and rhythm game spin-offs. The ser ...

'' * Kira Supernova, in the 2013 computer-animated film

Escape from Planet Earth ''Escape from Planet Earth'' is a 2013 computer animated comedy-adventure science fiction film produced by Rainmaker Entertainment and distributed by The Weinstein Company in the United States and Entertainment One in Canada, directed by Cal Bru ...

, voiced by

Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 1 ...

Kira Yamato is a fictional character first introduced as the protagonist from the 2002 Japanese anime television series ''Mobile Suit Gundam SEED'', which was produced by Sunrise as part of the ''Gundam'' franchise. In the series, Kira is a first-generatio ...

in the Japanese anime television series ''Mobile Suit Gundam SEED'' and ''Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny'' * Kira Yoshikage in the Japanese anime television series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' * Kira Yukimura, one of the main characters in the MTV drama ''Teen Wolf'' * Kira (''Death Note''), alias of the protagonist Light Yagami in the Japanese manga/anime franchise ''Death Note'' *

Kira (Gelfling) The characters from the 1982 cult fantasy film ''The Dark Crystal'' series were created by puppeteer Jim Henson and concept artist Brian Froud, most of the information about specific characters and species names that were not mentioned in the film ...

in the film ''The Dark Crystal'' * Kira (''Iggy Arbuckle''), a anthropomorphic rat in the Canadian animated television series ''Iggy Arbuckle'' * Kira (''Mortal Kombat'') *

Kira Nerys Kira Nerys is a fictional character in the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999). She was played by actress Nana Visitor. The character is from the fictional planet Bajor, a world which has rec ...

in the Star Trek ''Deep Space 9'' television series. * Kira the Seer in the ''Charmed'' television series universe * Kira, a recurring character and antagonist in season 3 of Disney Channel's ''

Andi Mack ''Andi Mack'' is an American family comedy-drama television series created by Terri Minsky that premiered on Disney Channel on April 7, 2017. It ran for three seasons and 57 episodes, concluding on July 26, 2019. The series stars Peyton Elizabe ...

'' * Kira, the main character of the book ''

Gathering Blue ''Gathering Blue'' is a young adult-dystopian novel written by Lois Lowry and was published on September 25, 2000. A companion book to ''The Giver'' (1993), it is set in the same future time period and universe, treats some of the same themes, and ...

'' by Lois Lowry * Kira, daughter of Sarah Manning in the Canadian sci-fi television series ''

Orphan Black ''Orphan Black'' is a Canadian Science fiction on television, science-fiction Thriller (genre), thriller television series created by screenwriter Graeme Manson and director John Fawcett (director), John Fawcett and starring Tatiana Maslany. Th ...

'' * Kira in the animated preschool television series ''

Zack & Quack ''Zack & Quack'' is an animated children's television series created by Gili Dolev and Yvette Kaplan. Produced by Zodiak Media, the series premiered on Nick Jr. in the United Kingdom and Ireland on February 7, 2014. In the United States, it bega ...

'' * Kira in the 1980 film '' Xanadu'', played by Olivia Newton-John * Kira Yoshikage, the main antagonist of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: '' Diamond is Unbreakable'' by Hirohiko Araki * Kira Navárez, the main character of the 2020 Sci-Fi novel To Sleep in a Sea of Stars

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kira (Given Name) Belarusian feminine given names English feminine given names Japanese feminine given names Persian feminine given names Russian feminine given names Ukrainian feminine given names

People

Fictional characters

See also

References