Boy's name
Cillian
“KIL-ee-an”
IPA: /cɪˈlʲiən̪ˠ/
possibly from cill, 'church', or ceall, 'little warrior'; disputed
The story behind the name
St Cillian of Würzburg left Ireland in the 7th century to preach in Franconia and was murdered there for telling a duke his marriage was unlawful; he is patron of the Bavarian city still. The actor Cillian Murphy has spent a career correcting the pronunciation.
Where the name belongs
Meanings follow Ó Corráin & Maguire's Irish Names and Woulfe; pronunciations give the commonest Irish-English form. Know this name better — a dialect pronunciation, a family tradition? Tell us. · All Irish names A–Z