| Aiden | Aidan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Little fire | Little fire |
| Origin | Irish | irish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | AY-den | AY-dən |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1970 | 1936 |
| Peak year | 2009 (16,030) | 2003 (10,067) |
| In 2025 | 5,046 | 1,043 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Aiden | Aidan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 42,793 | 6,955 |
| 2010s | 129,675 | 25,446 |
| 2000s | 83,554 | 76,513 |
| 1990s | 1,642 | 8,783 |
| 1980s | 76 | 465 |
| 1970s | 25 | 172 |
| 1960s | 0 | 71 |
| 1950s | 0 | 21 |
| 1930s | 0 | 5 |
Aiden (Aidan) is from the Irish Aodhán, a diminutive of Aodh, the name of a Celtic sun and fire god — hence the sense “little fire.”
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'.
Aiden is more popular than Aidan today: about 5,046 US babies were given the name Aiden in 2025, compared with 1,043 named Aidan.
Aiden means Little fire (Irish origin), while Aidan means Little fire (irish origin).
In US records, Aiden first appears in 1970 and Aidan in 1936, so Aidan has the longer recorded history.