MEANING & HISTORY
What does Kira mean?
Kira has several documented routes. Greek Kyra is associated with lady, while Russian Kira has been connected with the Cyra and Cyrus family.
English use can also respell Irish Ciara or Keira, with a dark root. These are separate accounts. Light or sun should not be imposed as one universal meaning from the Latin letters.
References for this explanation
Pronunciation & syllables
Dictionary readings are kept by language. Select the reading that matches your intended pronunciation. Dots show the source’s written divisions; they are not a universal syllable count across languages.
Wiktionary contributors / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
EnglishEtymology & source
Variant of Kyra or borrowed from Russian Ки́ра (Kíra), ultimately from Persian کوروش (Kūrūš). Also used as a respelling of Ciara, from Irish [Term?].
A female given name from Persian or Irish.
EnglishEtymology & source
Name of a Greek Orthodox saint, from Medieval Greek κυρά (kurá, “lady”), or from Cyra, feminine form of Cyrus. The English name may also be a variant of Keira.
A female given name of modern usage.
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
People with the name Kira
Public figures and other documented namesakes linked by an explicit given-name claim. This is a selection of records, not a popularity ranking.
DOCUMENTED NAMESAKE
Kira Danganan-Azucena
Philippines diplomat
The record establishes the name association, not the person’s intended meaning, pronunciation or ancestry. Descriptions are attributed to Wikidata contributors (CC0).
Use in Philippine-linked records
Wikidata
1
distinct person records with an explicit given-name claim
Community-edited coverage, not a census or birth registry. Examples: Kira Danganan-Azucena
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Kira in the birth records
Exact spelling and stated year in the published name tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Tables included: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The 2016 fact sheet lists five names per sex; the later tables include ten. Missing counts are not inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Similar names to Kira
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
- Akira♂♀Bright in 明 or 昭; clear in 亮
- Ira♂♀Watchful in Hebrew, or an Irene-family short form
- Kiara♀Ciara or Chiara form: dark or bright roots
- Kina♀Cebuano clipping of Joaquina
- Kirk♂Church, through a surname
- Mira♀Distinct Indian, Slavic and shortened-name traditions
- Kiana♀Hawaiian form of Diana; also a modern Kian-family form
- Kikay♀Kika with ay, from Francisca
What rhymes with Kira?
No dictionary-confirmed rhyme match is available for this spelling in the current catalogue.
Explore Kira further
Follow the sources
- Wikidata given-name item Q971245 — Kira (opens in a new tab)
Given-name identity, native labels, language associations and explicit class where present; not lexical meaning or population frequency.
- Wikidata — Kira Danganan-Azucena (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q971245 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wiktionary contributors — Kira (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Wiktionary contributors — Kira (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Wiktionary: Kira (opens in a new tab)
Personal-name formation and etymological relationships; imported dictionary account consulted.
- Wiktionary: Ciara (English) (opens in a new tab)
Consulted source-name etymology or explicit sense relationship supporting the stated formation.
- Behind the Name: kira-1 (opens in a new tab)
Independently consulted exact source-name relationship and qualifications.
- Behind the Name: kira-2 (opens in a new tab)
Independently consulted exact source-name relationship and qualifications.