Jayden, Jadin, Jadyn, Jaiden, and Jaden (among other variations) are unisexgiven names that were rather obscure until the 1990s, when they began to appear on the U.S. Social Security Administration's list of the 1,000 most popular boys' names. A name likely of modern invention, Jayden's rank among boys in the United States was 26 as of 2017[update], though it peaked at number 4 in 2011.
Etymology
The name is probably a modern invention, formed by blending the "Jay" sound from the 1970s-popular name Jason with the "den" sound from names like Braden, Hayden, Jordan and Zayden.[1] The biblical name Jadon (or Yadon), Hebrew for "he will judge", appears in the Bible in Nehemiah 3:7,[2] but it is unlikely to be the source of the modern name.[1]
Usage and popularity
The first Jadon to appear in the U.S. Census is Jadon Solomon Jones (born 1858) of South Carolina, among a few others of the same name in the 19th century. The first year the SSA listed the name – those names in its annual list must be given to at least five children – was in 1970, when there were five Jadens born. Jadon appeared in 1973, and Jayden was first listed in 1977.[1]
The name first appeared on the SSA's list of the 1,000 most popular boys' names in 1994, at number 850.[3] It became dramatically more popular among ethnic minorities[4] in the U.S. thereafter with the naming of Jaden Smith (a variant of Jayden; derived from his mother's name, Jada),[5] the son of two famous actors, in 1998:[5] use of the name about doubled between 1998 and 1999.[1]
Australia saw Jayden as a top 100 name in the state of Victoria in 1989.[1] In the United States, a decade later, Jayden's rank had risen to 62 and peaked at number 4 in 2011 with 16,979 births. The rank of Jayden as of 2017[update] is 26; variants that have peaked are Jaden (at 74 in 2007), Jaiden (at 171 in 2009), Jadyn (at 248 in 2005), Jadan (at 373 in 2003), and Jaidyn (at 559 in 2008).[3]
In 2022, it was the 35th most popular name given to boys in Canada.[6]
The name's and variants' sudden rise in U.S. usage comes from many places: J names have been historically liked by Americans, and the popularity of two-syllable names ending in n has increased, as has the frequency of distinctive names.[7]
This page or section lists people that share the same given name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.
