Aidden
Gaelic name meaning "little fire" or "fiery one".
Name Census estimates that about 337 living Americans carry the first name Aidden. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Aidden today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aidden births was 2011 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aidden. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
337
~ 1 in 1,017,075 Americans
Peak year
2011
35 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2021 SSA rank
#8,855
Tracked since 2003
Census
Aidden in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 278 people with the first name Aidden, which placed it at #31,017 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#31,017
National first-name rank
People counted
278
278 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
48.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aidden
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Aidden is White at 48.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (28.1%) and Black (13.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Aidden described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Aidden at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.9% · 136
- Hispanic or Latino28.1% · 78
- Black or African American13.7% · 38
- Two or more races6.5% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2
Popularity
Aidden: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aidden from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 198 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aidden by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Aidden during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Aiddens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Texas, California, Missouri recorded the most babies named Aidden, while New York, Missouri, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Aidden
The name Aidden has its origins in the ancient Gaelic language, dating back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the Gaelic word "aodh," which means "fire" or "fiery one." The name was commonly used among Celtic tribes in Ireland, Scotland, and parts of England during the medieval period.
In the 7th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Saint Aidden, a renowned Irish monk and scholar. He was the founder of the monastic school of Iona in Scotland and played a significant role in spreading Christianity throughout the Scottish Isles and northern England.
Another notable figure bearing this name was Aidden mac Gabrain, a 7th-century King of Dalriada, an ancient Scottish kingdom. He was known for his military prowess and successfully defended his kingdom against invading forces.
In the 12th century, Aidden Mor, a Scottish chieftain and warrior, gained fame for his bravery in battles against the Vikings. His exploits were documented in various medieval chronicles and became the subject of Scottish folklore.
During the 16th century, Aidden O'Donnell was a prominent Irish chieftain and leader of the O'Donnell clan. He played a crucial role in the Irish resistance against English colonization and was celebrated for his leadership and courage.
Throughout history, the name Aidden has been associated with strength, valor, and a fiery spirit. While its popularity has waxed and waned over the centuries, it has remained a cherished name among Celtic communities, carrying the rich heritage and cultural significance of its ancient origins.
People
Aidden + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aidden as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Aidden: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aidden?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 337 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aidden going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,017,075 US residents.
Is Aidden a common name?
We classify Aidden as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 340 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aidden most popular?
The single biggest year for Aidden was 2011, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aidden is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Aidden in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 278 people with the name Aidden, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,017 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Aidden in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Aidden?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Aidden leans strongly male. 274 people counted with this name were male (97.5%), compared with 7 female bearers (2.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Aidden?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Aidden is White at 48.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (28.1%) and Black (13.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Aidden most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Aidden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.9% (136 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Aidden in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Aidden a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Aidden in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Aidden still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Aidden in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Aidden can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Aidden?
Find out how many Americans are named Aidden on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.