Killian
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 and Franconia and the author of the life of St Brigid.[1]
| Language(s) | Irish |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Meaning | Possibly " Little Church", "Strife", "War", or "Bright-Headed" |
| Region of origin | Ireland |
| Other names | |
| Variant form(s) | Ó Cillín, Cillian, Ceallach, Kilian, Killian, Killion, Killeen, Cilléne, Cillín |
Killian, as a surname, is found in both Ireland and Germany. It was originally spelled Ó Cillín in Irish before being Anglicized into Killeen as well as Killian. Spelling variations for Killian include Kilian, Killion, and others.[2]
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.[3] In 689 he was martyred in Würzburg, 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, cill meaning "church" in Gaelic while the suffix "-ín" is used affectionately to indicate a 'pet' or diminutive status.[4] The Rev. Patrick Woulfe wrote that Cillian is the 'pet' diminutive of Ceallach which means "war", "strife" or "bright-headed".[5]
Notable people named Cillian
- Cillian Buckley, an Irish hurler
- Cillian Farrell, an Irish hurling manager
- Cillian Murphy, an Irish actor
- Cillian O'Connor, a Gaelic footballer for Mayo
- Cillian Ryan, an economist and Pro Vice-Chancellor International, Nottingham Trent University
- Cillian Sheridan, an Irish professional footballer who plays for Kilmarnock
- Cillian Twomey, a retired consultant physician in geriatric medicine at Cork University and St. Finbarr’s Hospital, Cork, Ireland
- Cillian Vallely, an Irish musician
- Cillian Willis, a professional rugby union footballer employed by Leinster Rugby
Notable people named Killian
- Killian Brennan, an Irish footballer currently with the League of Ireland club St Patrick's Athletic
- Killian Dain, ring name of Northern Irish professional wrestler Damian Mackle
- Killian Donnelly, an Irish-born musical theatre performer
- Dan A. Killian, American college sports coach
- Edwin Henry Killian (1876–1928), a Major League Baseball pitcher primarily of the Detroit Tigers
- Eugene H. Killian (1873–1943), an American politician
- George E. Killian, a sports administrator and currently the president of the International University Sports Federation
- Gustav Killian (1860–1921), a German laryngologist for whom Killian's dehiscence is named
- James Rhyne Killian (1904–1988), the 11th president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Jerry B. Killian, an officer in the Texas Air National Guard in the early 1970s, to whom Lieutenant George W. Bush was a subordinate
- Richard Killian, an American businessman and politician
- Robert K. Killian (1919–2005), an American politician from the state of Connecticut
- Killian Scott, an Irish actor
- Killian K. Van Rensselaer (1763–1845), member of the United States House of Representatives from New York
- Killian Peier, Swiss ski jumper, 2019 World Championships medalist
Notable people named Kilian
- Saint Kilian, an Irish missionary bishop and the apostle of Franconia
- Kílian Jornet Burgada, a Spanish ski mountaineer, long-distance runner, mountain biker and duathlete
- André Kilian, a German-born footballer currently playing for North Queensland Fury
- Crawford Kilian, a Canadian novelist and a college professor
- Hanns Kilian (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 (1811–1884), a Lutheran pastor and leader of the colony known as the Wends of Texas
- Michael Kilian (1939–2005), author and journalist primarily for the Chicago Tribune in Washington, D.C
- Victor Kilian (1891–1979), an American actor blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio in the 1950s
- Wiesław Kilian, a Polish politician
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, an American football linebacker
- Redley A. Killion, a Micronesian politician
- Sean Killion, an American swimmer
- Tom Killion, an American politician from Pennsylvania
Places
- St. Kilian's German School (also known as 'St. Kilian's Deutsche Schule'), a school situated in Clonskeagh, Dublin, Ireland
- Kilian Island (also known as Elvira Island), an uninhabited island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada
- Kilianstein, a rock formation in Germany
- St Killian's College at Carnlough, Northern Ireland
- Killian, Louisiana, a village in Livingston Parish
- Miami Killian High School, a public high school located in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida
- The Killian Nine, a group of students at Miami Killian High School who in February 1999 distributed a controversial satirical pamphlet named "First Amendment" and were arrested for it
Other uses
- Kilian family, a lineage of German engravers
- Killian's Irish Red Beer, a lager brewed by Coors
- The Killian Curse, a New Zealand kidult horror-fantasy series
- The Killian documents controversy, referring to allegedly forged documents that were publicized during the 2004 US presidential campaign
- Jack Kilian, lead character in the TV series Midnight Caller (1988–1991)
- Killian Gardiner, one of the main characters of Witches of East End
- Captain Killian "Hook" Jones, a fictional character on the TV series Once Upon a Time
- Killian or Kilian, a dance hold used in ice dancing where the dancers are side-by-side.
- Cassandra Cillian, a main character in The Librarians (2014 TV series)
See also
References
- Hanks, Patrick; Hodges, Flavia (1990), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford University Press, p. 193
- Killian Family Crest. HouseOfNames.com
- "GENUKI: Tuosist". homepage.eircom.net.
- Patrick Weston Joyce (1869). The Origin and History of Irish Names of Places, Volume 1. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- Patrick Woulfe (1923). "Cillian". Irish Names and Surnames. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
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