| Aiden | Sean | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Little fire | God is gracious |
| Origin | Irish | irish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | AY-den | SHAWN |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1970 | 1925 |
| Peak year | 2009 (16,030) | 1990 (12,018) |
| In 2025 | 5,046 | 616 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Aiden | Sean |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 42,793 | 4,766 |
| 2010s | 129,675 | 21,540 |
| 2000s | 83,554 | 64,133 |
| 1990s | 1,642 | 92,003 |
| 1980s | 76 | 103,870 |
| 1970s | 25 | 83,819 |
| 1960s | 0 | 47,282 |
| 1950s | 0 | 5,452 |
| 1940s | 0 | 659 |
| 1930s | 0 | 101 |
| 1920s | 0 | 12 |
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.”
The Irish form of John (Seán), borrowed from Norman-French Jehan, ultimately from Hebrew 'Yochanan' meaning 'God is gracious.' Anglicised variants include Shawn and Shaun.
Aiden is more popular than Sean today: about 5,046 US babies were given the name Aiden in 2025, compared with 616 named Sean.
Aiden means Little fire (Irish origin), while Sean means God is gracious (irish origin).
In US records, Aiden first appears in 1970 and Sean in 1925, so Sean has the longer recorded history.