Aiden

Meaning of Aiden

Derived from the Old Irish Aodhán, a diminutive of Aodh meaning “fire,” Aiden is typically rendered in English as AY-dun, while the Irish articulation approximates EYE-din. The name reached prominence through the seventh-century missionary Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne, securing a foothold in early Christian Britain; its modern revival, however, stems largely from a late-twentieth-century North American appetite for Celtic heritage names. U.S. birth records illustrate a dramatic trajectory: from six registered infants in 1970 to more than 15,000 in both 2010 and 2011, a surge that placed Aiden firmly within the national top ten before a measured decline to rank 46 in 2024. Phonetic economy, the fashion-forward “-en” suffix, and the latent image of “little fire” have sustained its resonance, even as variant spellings (Aidan, Ayden, Aydan) expand its statistical footprint. Straddling tradition and modernity, Aiden offers parents an onomastic synthesis—anchored in Gaelic lore yet fully aligned with contemporary Anglo-American naming conventions.

Pronunciation

American English

• Pronunced as AY-dun (/eɪd(ə)n//)

Irish Gaelic

• Pronunced as EYE-din ( /aɪ.d̪ʲi:n//)

• Jaden
• Kaden
• Caden
• Jayden
• Raiden
• Brayden
• Hayden