Aria
A feminine name of Italian origin meaning "air" or "melody".
Roughly 89,321 people in the United States go by the first name Aria, which ranks #26 nationally when sorted by estimated living bearers. It is a predominantly female name (99.2% of registrations). The average person named Aria today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aria births was 2018 (7,452 babies). In terms of living bearers, it sits close to Reginald (88,933).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aria. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Aria with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Aria is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 677 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • Aria is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 9 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
89K
~ 1 in 3,837 Americans
Peak year
2018
7,452 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#26
Tracked since 1900
Census
Aria in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 53,370 people with the first name Aria, which placed it at #856 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
#856
National first-name rank
People counted
53K
53,370 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
17.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
48.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aria
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Aria is White at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.6%) and Black (11.2%). 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 Aria 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 Aria at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.0% · 25,604
- Hispanic or Latino22.6% · 12,044
- Black or African American11.2% · 5,975
- Two or more races10.6% · 5,667
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.0% · 3,720
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 360
Gender
Gender distribution for Aria
Out of the 90,173 babies given the name Aria since 1880, 99.2% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Aria as a male name
- Ranked #4,703 in 2024
- 21 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2001 (33 births)
Aria as a female name
- Ranked #26 in 2024
- 5,935 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2018 (7,435 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Aria leans strongly female. 52,491 people counted with this name were female (98.4%), compared with 869 male bearers (1.6%).
Popularity
Aria: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aria from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 52,445 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Aria remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aria 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 Aria during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Arias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Aria, while Vermont, Wyoming, South Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 1,724 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Aria
The name Aria has its roots in the Italian language and culture. It is derived from the Latin word "aria," which means "air" or "melody." The name gained popularity during the Renaissance period, particularly in Italy, where it was associated with music and the arts.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Aria can be found in the writings of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321). In his epic poem "The Divine Comedy," Dante mentions an aria, referring to a musical composition or melody. This association with music and the arts continues to be a recurring theme in the history of the name.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Aria became more prominent in Italian opera and classical music. Several famous opera singers and composers bore this name, including Aria da Capo (1600-1670), an Italian composer and singer known for her virtuosic vocal performances.
In the 18th century, the name Aria gained popularity beyond Italy, particularly in France and England. One notable figure from this period was Aria Vivante (1723-1804), a French artist and engraver who was celebrated for her intricate etchings and engravings.
As the name spread across Europe, it also appeared in literary works and historical records. In the 19th century, Aria Pendragon (1837-1912) was a British author and poet who wrote under the pen name "Aria." Her works often explored themes of nature and the human experience.
In more recent history, the name Aria has been associated with several influential figures in various fields. Aria Goodman (1913-2002) was an American artist and sculptor known for her abstract and minimalist works. Aria Montecchi (1935-2018) was an Italian fashion designer who gained recognition for her innovative and avant-garde designs.
Other notable individuals with the name Aria include Aria Fazliu (1958-present), a Kosovo-Albanian singer and songwriter who has been a prominent figure in the music industry for several decades, and Aria Crescendo (1972-present), an American composer and conductor who has contributed significantly to the world of contemporary classical music.
Throughout history, the name Aria has been celebrated for its melodic and artistic connotations, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of Italy and the enduring influence of music, literature, and the arts.
People
Aria + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aria 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
Aria: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aria?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 89,321 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aria 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 3,837 US residents.
Is Aria a common name?
We classify Aria as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 90,173 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aria most popular?
The single biggest year for Aria was 2018, when 7,452 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aria is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Aria in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 53,370 people with the name Aria, or 17.67 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #856 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 Aria 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 Aria?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Aria leans strongly female. 52,491 people counted with this name were female (98.4%), compared with 869 male bearers (1.6%). 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 Aria?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Aria is White at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.6%) and Black (11.2%). 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 Aria most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Aria in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.0% (25,604 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 Aria in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Aria a female name?
Yes, 99.2% of people registered as Aria in the SSA data are female. 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 Aria still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Aria 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 Aria 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 have the name Aria?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Aria, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.