I've already posted this to RASFW, but for those who don't subscribe: The names "Kieron" - as in "Kieron the Conqueror" - and "Kiera" - as in "Kiera the Thief" - are as Easterner as "Kelly" or "Patrick", in that they are both common variants of fairly common Irish names (It's one of those things that's totally obvious, but only if you already know it). http://www.geocities.com/edgarbook/names/c/ciara.html Etymology: Ciara is a modern, Latin-based, form of the Old Irish name Ciar, or Ciarnat meaning "Dark" and thus, can be a feminine form of Ciarán, an Irish Gaelic name meaning "Little Dark One". Pronunciation: kee-are-ah, often mispronounced in the United States as see-are-ah Alternates: Ciera, Cierra, Kiara, Kiera, Kierra, Chier. http://www.geocities.com/edgarbook/names/c/ciaran.html Etymology: Ciarán is an Irish Gaelic name meaning "Little Dark One" History: Ciaran (or Kieran) was an early Irish name that died out before the Middle Ages. As a saint's name, it was probably considered too holy for everyday use. It has been revived in Ireland, and in the United States, to a small degree. Pronunciation: kee-a-rawn, kee-ran. Alternates: Ciaran, Kiaran, Kieren, Kieran, Kieron, Keiran. http://www.behindthename.com/nmc/iri2.html KIERA f Irish Anglicized form of CIARA KIERAN m Irish Anglicized form of CIARAN http://www.behindthename.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?terms=ciara CIARA f Irish Pronounced: KEE-a-ra, KEER-a Feminine form of CIARAN. Saint Ciara was an Irish nun who established a monastery at Kilkeary in the 7th century. http://www.behindthename.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?terms=ciaran CIARAN m Irish Derived from Irish ciar meaning "black" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of two Irish saints: Saint Ciaran the Elder, the patron of the Kingdom of Munster, and Saint Ciaran of Clonmacnoise, the founder of a monastery in the 6th century. http://www.babynamesofireland.com/pages/boy-names-a-c.html So now you know.