| Aidan | Ryan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Little fire | Little king |
| Origin | irish | Irish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | AY-dən | RY-un |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1936 | 1906 |
| Peak year | 2003 (10,067) | 1985 (29,905) |
| In 2025 | 1,043 | 3,532 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Aidan | Ryan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 6,955 | 25,959 |
| 2010s | 25,446 | 91,006 |
| 2000s | 76,513 | 173,244 |
| 1990s | 8,783 | 241,248 |
| 1980s | 465 | 278,938 |
| 1970s | 172 | 139,635 |
| 1960s | 71 | 11,322 |
| 1950s | 21 | 1,961 |
| 1940s | 0 | 500 |
| 1930s | 5 | 134 |
| 1920s | 0 | 111 |
| 1910s | 0 | 55 |
| 1900s | 0 | 10 |
Anglicized form of Aodhan, a diminutive of the Old Irish name Aodh, which means 'fire' and was borne by a Celtic sun/fire god. The name therefore reads as 'little fire' or 'fiery one'.
Ryan is anglicised from the Irish surname Ó Riain, “descendant of Rían,” a name linked to rí, “king” — hence the popular gloss “little king.”
Ryan is more popular than Aidan today: about 3,532 US babies were given the name Ryan in 2025, compared with 1,043 named Aidan.
Aidan means Little fire (irish origin), while Ryan means Little king (Irish origin).
In US records, Aidan first appears in 1936 and Ryan in 1906, so Ryan has the longer recorded history.