Killen: Last Name Origin and Family Crest

Seen on a birth certificate or a ship's manifest, Killen is usually a form of Killian. At root, the name means “Little church”. Killen is listed among the recognised spellings of Killian. Census takers and immigration officers often wrote what they heard. Other spellings include Killion and Kilian.

Killen ranked 7,968 in the 2010 US Census, with 4,151 people answering to the name. Names that sound alike, such as Killeen and Guillén, are easily confused in old records.

Arms linked to Killian and its spellings were granted to individual families; our heraldry team traces which line they belonged to. Get the complete Killen report, with a museum-style coat of arms.