Kerin
Feminine
Kerin is given to both — 1,318 girls and 277 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Kerin is a short name with at least three possible parents and no way of choosing between them. It could be a Hebrew name out of the book of Job, an Irish surname, or an American respelling of Karen or Kieran. The record does not say, and this page is not going to pretend that it does.
How old is the name Kerin?
Kerin first appears in US birth records in 1935 — 90 years ago. The typical Kerin alive today was born around 1974, making them about 51 years old. About 1,200 people named Kerin are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Kerin most popular?
Kerin peaked in 1958, reaching #1791 nationally. See the whole 1958 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Kerin
What the American record actually shows is a small name behaving like a respelling. It appears alongside a much larger family of similar shapes, it never gathers momentum of its own, and it is given to boys and to girls alike, which is what happens when a spelling is not firmly attached to a source. Names in that position are usually made at a kitchen table out of something heard: a name in the family, a name on the television, a name that went well with the surname. The parents who made them rarely wrote down why, and a century later there is nothing left to consult. Job's daughter is the most attractive of the possible sources and probably not the true one. The honest reading is that Kerin is an American name that resembles several older ones without descending from any of them.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Three candidates, all real, none decisive. Hebrew keren is a horn, and it is the first half of Keren-happuch, the name Job gives his third daughter in the last chapter of the book: horn of eye paint, meaning the little flask of kohl a woman kept, which is a strange and rather tender thing to call a child. Irish O Ceirin is a genuine surname from the Clare and Mayo families, anglicized as Kerin. And Karen, Kieran and Kerry were all in wide American use when this spelling appears. Any of the three could produce it; none of them explains it alone.
Pronouncing Kerin
KEH-rin
Two syllables with the stress on the first, rhyming with Erin. Some families say kuh-RIN, with the weight at the back, and nothing in the spelling settles which is meant. Expect to say it first and let people follow.
Nicknames for Kerin
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1935
- Most girls named
- 196441 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1791reached in 1958
- Change vs 2011
- 0.0%5 in 2013, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Kerin in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- O Ceirin in Irish — related form
Kerins among us
people named Kerin are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Kerin sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Short, easy to say, and made of sounds that every English speaker already has.
- It works for a child of either sex without looking like a deliberate choice about that.
- It is rare enough to be individual and ordinary enough that nobody asks where it came from.
- It sits inside a crowd of near neighbors, Karen, Kieran, Kerry, Erin, and will be turned into each of them by ear.
- There is no meaning to give a child who asks, which is worth deciding how to answer before the question arrives.
- The stress is unsettled, so the name has to be introduced rather than simply used.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Kerin to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Kerin? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Kerin
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Kerins are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,200 people named Kerin are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Kerin in 2025?
- Kerin is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Kerin with classmates?
- Kerin will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More K names
The most-given names starting with K, all years combined.
Karen#1279 · Kimberly#302 · Kathleen#1150 · Katherine#186 · Kelly#851 · Kathryn#729 · Kayla#364 · Kathy#3249
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Kerin? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Kerin and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle