Killian

For other uses, see Killian (disambiguation).
Killian
Language(s)Irish
Origin
MeaningPossibly 'Little Church'; alternatively a dinimutive form of a name meaning 'Strife', 'War', or 'Bright-headed'
Region of originIreland
Other names
Variant form(s)Ó Cillín, Cillian, Kilian, Kiliaen, Kilian, Killion, Kileen, Kylian, Cilléne, Cillín; possibly Ceallach

Killian or Kilian, as a given name, is an Anglicized version of the Irish name Cillian. The name Cillian was borne by several early Irish saints including missionaries to Artois (France) and Franconia (Germany) and the author of the life of St Brigid.[1]

The name is said to derive from Saint Kilian, an Irish missionary to Germany in the 7th century, who, according to the Acta Sanctorum, 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, County Kerry, Ireland.[2] In 689, he was martyred in Würzburg, now in Bavaria, 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, cill meaning 'church' in the Irish language, while the suffix -ín is used affectionately to indicate a "pet" or diminutive status.[3] Patrick Woulfe wrote that Cillian is a diminutive of Ceallach which means 'war', 'strife', or 'bright-headed'.[4]

  1. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hodges, Flavia (1990), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford University Press, p. 193
  2. ^ "GENUKI: Tuosist". homepage.eircom.net.
  3. ^ Patrick Weston Joyce (1869). The Origin and History of Irish Names of Places, Volume 1. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  4. ^ Patrick Woulfe (1923). "Cillian". Irish Names and Surnames. Retrieved 28 July 2011.