| Aiden | Ryan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Little fire | Little king |
| Origin | Irish | Irish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | AY-den | RY-un |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1970 | 1906 |
| Peak year | 2009 (16,030) | 1985 (29,905) |
| In 2025 | 5,046 | 3,532 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Aiden | Ryan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 42,793 | 25,959 |
| 2010s | 129,675 | 91,006 |
| 2000s | 83,554 | 173,244 |
| 1990s | 1,642 | 241,248 |
| 1980s | 76 | 278,938 |
| 1970s | 25 | 139,635 |
| 1960s | 0 | 11,322 |
| 1950s | 0 | 1,961 |
| 1940s | 0 | 500 |
| 1930s | 0 | 134 |
| 1920s | 0 | 111 |
| 1910s | 0 | 55 |
| 1900s | 0 | 10 |
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.”
Ryan is anglicised from the Irish surname Ó Riain, “descendant of Rían,” a name linked to rí, “king” — hence the popular gloss “little king.”
Aiden is more popular than Ryan today: about 5,046 US babies were given the name Aiden in 2025, compared with 3,532 named Ryan.
Aiden means Little fire (Irish origin), while Ryan means Little king (Irish origin).
In US records, Aiden first appears in 1970 and Ryan in 1906, so Ryan has the longer recorded history.