| Ayan | Khalid | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | watchful, seeing (disputed) | eternal, immortal |
| Origin | arabic | arabic |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ah-YAAN | KHAA-lid |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1962 |
| Peak year | 2025 (338) | 2019 (273) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 250 |
| Trend | Rising | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ayan | Khalid |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,666 | 1,459 |
| 2010s | 1,807 | 2,092 |
| 2000s | 561 | 1,708 |
| 1990s | 47 | 1,546 |
| 1980s | 5 | 708 |
| 1970s | 5 | 600 |
| 1960s | 0 | 84 |
A transliteration variant often treated as the same name as Ayaan. In the Arabic reading it is linked to 'ayn (ع-ي-ن, 'eye, sight'), giving 'watchful, seeing'. Other traditions connect it to a Turkic/Yakut word for 'journey' and to Somali 'good fortune', so the meaning is disputed.
From the root kh-l-d (خ-ل-د, 'to be eternal, everlasting'), meaning 'eternal, immortal, undying'. Borne by the general Khalid ibn al-Walid. Also spelled Khaled.
Khalid is more popular than Ayan today: about 250 US babies were given the name Khalid in 2025, compared with 0 named Ayan.
Ayan means watchful, seeing (disputed) (arabic origin), while Khalid means eternal, immortal (arabic origin).
In US records, Ayan first appears in 0 and Khalid in 1962, so Ayan has the longer recorded history.