Head to head · Boys' names
Conrad vs Killian
#417 vs #417 in 2025
Conrad and Killian share the same spot on the 2025 charts (#417). The records cannot split them; sound and story will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Conrad leads 4 measures of 6; Killian leads 0.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Conrad #260, Killian — — Conrad higher
- 1890s: Conrad #290, Killian — — Conrad higher
- 1900s: Conrad #350, Killian — — Conrad higher
- 1910s: Conrad #309, Killian #3825 — Conrad higher
- 1920s: Conrad #298, Killian #4286 — Conrad higher
- 1930s: Conrad #249, Killian — — Conrad higher
- 1940s: Conrad #314, Killian — — Conrad higher
- 1950s: Conrad #385, Killian — — Conrad higher
- 1960s: Conrad #492, Killian — — Conrad higher
- 1970s: Conrad #592, Killian — — Conrad higher
- 1980s: Conrad #583, Killian #3726 — Conrad higher
- 1990s: Conrad #618, Killian #1114 — Conrad higher
- 2000s: Conrad #752, Killian #1008 — Conrad higher
- 2010s: Conrad #650, Killian #508 — Killian higher
- 2020s: Conrad #514, Killian #370 — Killian higher
Conrad stood higher in 13 of 15 decades; Killian has held the lead since the 2010s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Conrad | Killian |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #260 | — |
| 1890s | #290 | — |
| 1900s | #350 | — |
| 1910s | #309 | #3825 |
| 1920s | #298 | #4286 |
| 1930s | #249 | — |
| 1940s | #314 | — |
| 1950s | #385 | — |
| 1960s | #492 | — |
| 1970s | #592 | — |
| 1980s | #583 | #3726 |
| 1990s | #618 | #1114 |
| 2000s | #752 | #1008 |
| 2010s | #650 | #508 |
| 2020s | #514 | #370 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Conrad
bold counsel
From Old High German kuoni, 'bold' or 'brave', and rat, 'counsel' or 'advice' — the sort of compound name Germanic families built from qualities they admired.
Kuonrat → Konrad → Conrad
How it traveled
The name is Germanic, formed in the early medieval period from kuoni and rat, and it belonged squarely to the ruling class: Conrad I was elected king of the East Franks in the tenth century, and Conrads sat on the German throne repeatedly after him. Saint Conrad of Constance, a tenth-century bishop, carried it into the church calendar and kept it in circulation across Catholic Europe.
Killian
linked either to the Irish word for church or to a root meaning strife
One reading traces Cillian to Old Irish cell, 'church' or 'monastic cell', giving a sense of 'of the church' — fitting for a name spread by missionaries. The other traces it to the personal name Ceallach, whose own meaning is disputed between 'strife' and, again, 'church'. Scholars have not settled it, and both readings sit inside the same small cluster of early Irish words.
Ceallach → Cillian → Kilian → Killian
How it traveled
The name begins as Cillian in early medieval Ireland, in the era when Irish monks were crossing into continental Europe. One of them, Kilian, reached Franconia in the seventh century and was killed at Würzburg; his cult made the name a permanent German fixture as Kilian, complete with a summer feast day still marked in the city.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Conrad
KON-rad
Stress on the first syllable. German speakers say KOHN-raht, with a clearer 'a' at the end; the English version is close enough that the name crosses borders without repair.
- Con — The plainest clip, informal, and the one that comes naturally in English-speaking households.
- Connie — A long-standing short form for men named Conrad, though in current American use the spelling reads mostly as a woman's name on its own.
- Kurt — A German short form of Konrad that long ago became a full given name in its own right, in German and in English.
- Rad — Informal, drawn from the second half of the name; used within families rather than on paper.
- Also Cord.
Killian
KIL-ee-un
Three light syllables with the stress on the first. The Irish Cillian is said the same way, so switching spellings changes nothing you hear.
- Kil — The most obvious clipping, used informally within families rather than as a standalone name.
- Killy — Informal and affectionate, common in childhood and often dropped later.
- Kili — A softer written form of the same clipping; not established as an independent given name in English.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Conrad if you want…
- a name on the way upup 134 places on the charts in five years
- plenty of nickname options5 recorded short forms — Con, Connie and Kurt
- a long American recordConrad was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Killian if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsKillian is stepping back from its peak
- a newer arrivalKillian entered the US charts in 1915
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Conrad
Strengths
- Spelled the way it sounds, one syllable each, with no common English variant to correct on forms.
- More than a thousand years of continuous use, from medieval German kings through to children born this year.
- Works in German, Polish, Italian, Spanish and Dutch with only small adjustments — a name that travels without translation.
To consider
- Konrad with a K is the standard spelling in German and Polish, so expect an occasional pause over which one you meant — a one-second correction, not a lifelong one.
- The name is still strongly represented among older generations in America, which means most adults will have met a Conrad who was well past childhood. That association fades quickly as more young ones arrive.
- Connie, the traditional short form, now reads as a woman's name to most American ears. Con and Kurt sidestep it if that matters to you.
Killian
Strengths
- One pronunciation, stated by the spelling — people rarely need to be corrected twice.
- A documented line back to early medieval Ireland, with an unbroken German life through the saint of Würzburg.
- Works across Irish, German, French and Central European forms, all recognizable to an English speaker.
To consider
- The first four letters spell an English word, and children notice that sort of thing. It passes quickly for most, but it is the one thing worth saying aloud before you decide.
- Killian and Cillian now compete, and the Irish spelling has grown visible enough that you should expect to specify which one you mean — at the pediatrician, on forms, in email.
- Its American wave is recent, so most people carrying it are still young. That means fewer adult namesakes to point to, and a name that reads as contemporary rather than inherited.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Conrad and Killian in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Conrad and Killian?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Vintage names making a comeback
- Grandmother-chic: 1920s names ready to return
- Medieval names still in use
- Names with a double letter
- all guides
Where Conrad and Killian each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Conrad or Killian — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Conrad or Killian?
- They tie in 2025: Conrad ranked #417 with 770 babies; Killian ranked #417 with 770 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Conrad or Killian?
- Conrad. Over the last five years Conrad moved up 134 places; Killian moved down 65 places.
- Which is the older name, Conrad or Killian?
- Conrad was already in use when US records began in 1880; Killian entered the US charts in 1915. On the American record, Conrad is the older name.
- How many people are named Conrad and Killian?
- About 24,500 people named Conrad are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 16,000 people named Killian are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Conrads or Killians in the classroom?
- Conrad will almost certainly be the only one in school. Killian will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
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