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Aiden

Boy name · 4,277 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Aiden: 4,277 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to boys, peaking at 334 births in 2008.

Aiden is the dominant anglicised form of the Irish Gaelic name Aodhán, a diminutive of Aodh, the ancient Celtic god of fire and the sun, giving the name its radiant meaning of "little fire." While deeply rooted in Irish mythology, its modern popularity in Scotland was propelled by actor Aidan Quinn and the character of Aidan Shaw in Sex and the City. The name also neatly parallels the biblical Aaron, though they are etymologically unrelated. A small but notable place connection can be found in Aydın, a Turkish city, though its meaning of "bright, enlightened" stems from a separate Arabic root. In Scotland, the variant spelling Aidan has also remained consistently popular, though Aiden now leads in usage since the early 2000s.