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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.

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. 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. Patrick Woulfe wrote that Cillian is a diminutive of Ceallach which means 'war', 'strife', or 'bright-headed'.

Notable people named Cillian

Cillian Buckley (born 1992), an Irish hurler

Cillian Farrell (born 1977), an Irish hurling manager

Cillian McDaid (born 1997), an Irish Gaelic and Australian rules footballer

Cillian Morrison (born 1991), an Irish Gaelic footballer

Cillian Murphy (born 1976), an Irish actor

Cillian O'Connor (born 1992), a Gaelic footballer for Mayo

Cillian Ryan, an economist and Pro Vice-Chancellor International, Nottingham Trent University

Cillian Sheridan (born 1987), 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 (born 1985), a professional rugby union footballer employed by Leinster Rugby

Notable people named Killian

Killian Brady (born 1990), an Irish Gaelic footballer

Killian Brennan, an Irish footballer with the League of Ireland club St Patrick's Athletic

Killian Clarke (born 1993), an Irish Gaelic footballer

Killian Dain, ring name of Northern Irish professional wrestler Damian Mackle

Killian Donnelly, an Irish-born musical theatre performer

Aldrich Killian, supervillain and main antagonist of Iron Man 3

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 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 10th 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

Killian Tillie (born 1998), French basketball player

Killian Hayes (born 2001), American–French basketball player

Killian Jones, a character from the show Once Upon a Time, also known as Captain Hook

Notable people named Kilian

Saint Kilian (640–689), Irish missionary bishop and the apostle of Franconia

Kilian Albrecht (born 1973), Austrian-Bulgarian alpine skier

Kilian Elkinson (born 1990), Bermudian footballer

Kílian Jornet (born 1987), a Spanish ski mountaineer, long-distance runner, mountain biker and duathlete

Kilian Zierer (born 2000), German-born American football player

André Kilian (born 1987), German-born footballer playing for North Queensland Fury

Caleb Kilian (born 1997), American baseball player

Crawford Kilian (born 1941), Canadian novelist and a college professor

Günter Kilian (1950–2026), German water polo player

Hanns Kilian (1905–1981), German bobsledder who competed from the late 1920s to the late 1930

Horst Kilian (born 1950), German water polo player, twin brother of Günter

Inge Kilian (born 1935), German high jumper

John Kilian (1811–1884), 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), American actor blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio in the 1950s

Wiesław Kilian (1952–2019), Polish politician

Notable people named Kylian

Kylian Hazard (born 1995), Belgian footballer

Kylian Mash (born 1983), French DJ and record producer

Kylian Mbappé (born 1998), French footballer

Notable people named Killion

John Joseph Killion (1859–1937), known as Jake Kilrain, famous bare knuckle fighter and glove boxer of the 1880s

Kyle Killion (born 1984), American football linebacker

Redley A. Killion (born 1951), Micronesian politician

Sean Killion (born 1967), American swimmer

Tom Killion (born 1957), American politician from Pennsylvania