The origins of this handsome name take us in two directions. The first and most expected is back to medieval Ireland, where the Gaelic name Aodhán (or Áedán) was inspired by the name of an Irish mythological god, Aodh (or Áed). Aodh means
"fire," thus the anglicized name, Aidan, means "little fire." (In the U.S., Aiden is more commonly spelled with the "en" ending.)
But there is another origin story here: a similar-sounding Turkish and Persian name, Aydin, has its own history and variants widely used among Islamic populations. This version means
"bright" or "illuminated," and makes a few appearances in the Koran. Aydin is also the name of a city and province in Turkey.
According to Irish historical records, Áedán mac Gabráin was the first Irish king of note in the kingdom of Dál Riata (which included parts of modern Ireland and Scotland), from about 574 to 606. There was also a seventh-century Irish Saint Aodh, referred to as Saint Aidan of Ferns.
Despite the evidence of medieval use, this name seems to have dropped out of circulation by the 10th century, and didn
't get picked up again until the late 19th or early 20th century as Aidan – likely reinforced by the Latin name Aidanus.
Once limited to Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, Aiden has been widely embraced. In the United States, Aiden was in the top 25 names for baby boys between 2008 and 2020, according to data from the Social Security Administration.
BabyCenter parents are fans of Aiden, too: It's usually in the top 15 names for baby boys. (BabyCenter
's ranking is based on data from hundreds of thousands of parents who share their baby's name with us.)
Aiden started taking off in 1995, just after actor Aidan Quinn starred in the Academy Award–winning film Legends of the Fall. Then Sex and the City
's Carrie Bradshaw had a boyfriend named Aidan, and the rest is history
The name's popularity doesn
't stop at U.S. borders: Aiden has been among the top 50 most popular baby names in 18 countries.
Alternative versions of this peaceful-sounding name include but are not limited to Aidan (the original), Aidn, Aidin (Persian), Aaiden, Ayden, Aydan, Aydin, Aydn, Aydun, Aedyn, Aedin, Aedon, Aadan, Aeddan, Aodhan (Gaelic), Adan, Adon, Aden, Adin (Hebrew), Edan, and so on. Feminine iterations include Aidyn, Ayden, Aidnata or Ena, Enat, and Etain (pronounced ay-deen, but not actually from the same root as Aiden).
Aiden's popularity has inspired plenty of alternative and sound-alike names. Name trend watchers largely trace the popularity of names like Brayden, Jaden, Caiden, Hayden, and other variations back to Aiden.
Perhaps due to its incredible popularity, Aiden isn
't quite as on fire as it was ten years ago. But we think this storied, multicultural name and its variants are here to stay.
