Aidan

For other uses, see Aidan (disambiguation).

Look up Aidan, aidan, Aidin, or Aiden in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Aidan
Pronunciation/ˈeɪdən/
GenderMale
Language(s)English
Origin
Language(s)Gaelic
Meaningborn of fire/the fiery one/little fiery one/bringer of fire
Region of originPersia /Ireland
Other names
Variant form(s)Aiden, Aidyn, Aidin, Adin, Adon, Adan, Aden, Aedan, Aydan, Ayden
Nickname(s)Ade, Adi, Ady, Aidy
DerivedAodhán
Popularitysee popular names

Aidan or Aiden are anglicised versions of the Irish male given name Aodhán.[1] Phonetic variants such as Aiden have become more common. The Irish language female equivalent is Aodhnait.

Etymology and spelling

The name is derived from the name Aodhán, which is a pet form of Aodh.[2] The personal name Aodh means "fiery" and/or "bringer of fire" and was the name of a Celtic sun god (see Aed).[3]

Formerly common only in Ireland, Scotland and. Wales, the name and its variants have become popular in England, the United States, Canada, and Australia. In the 2010s, Aiden rose to the 13th most popular name in the United States as the given name of 129,433 boys, while Aidan ranked 156th as the given name of 25,399 boys.[4] In the 2000s, Aiden was 54th most popular name in the United States as the given name of 83,527 boys while Aidan ranked 55th having been bestowed on 76,493 boys.[5] Other variants are less popular, such as Hayden 87th, Ayden 156th, Aden 333rd, Aydan 808th, and Aydin 960th, according to the United States Social Security Database.[6] "Aidan/Aiden" was the most popular boys' name in Canada in 2007.[7] Aiden was the 38th most popular name given to boys in Canada in 2022.[8]

Its popularity is also reflected in the occurrence of similar-sounding names such as Braden, Caden, Hayden, and Jayden.[9]

Aidan (or any reasonable variant) as a girl's name does not appear in the top one thousand names for girls from the same database, although it has occasionally been used for girls.

Given name

Middle Ages

Modern times

Arts and entertainment

Politics

Religion

Sports

Other

Fictional characters

See also

References

  1. ^ "Am Faclair Beag".
  2. ^ "Aodhán". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
  3. ^ "Aodh". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
  4. ^ "Top names of the 2010s". www.ssa.gov. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Top names of the 2000s". www.ssa.gov. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Top names of the 2000s". United States Social Security Database. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  7. ^ "Canada's Top Baby Names for 2007". BabyCenter.ca. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  8. ^ "Table 17-10-0147-01 First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators (Number)". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  9. ^ Rosenkrantz, Linda; Satran, Pamela Redmond (2007). The Baby Name Bible. New York City: St. Martin's Griffin. p. 343. ISBN 978-0-312-35220-2.
  10. ^ Adirondack Attic: Aiden Lair