Head to head · Boys' names
Aaron vs August
#80 vs #81 in 2025
Aaron is a whisker ahead (#80 vs #81 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Aaron is stepping back from its peak, August is back after a long quiet spell. On momentum, August has the edge.
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Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Aaron leads 4 measures of 6; August leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Aaron #148, August #82 — August higher
- 1890s: Aaron #179, August #105 — August higher
- 1900s: Aaron #181, August #160 — August higher
- 1910s: Aaron #188, August #182 — August higher
- 1920s: Aaron #218, August #245 — Aaron higher
- 1930s: Aaron #246, August #309 — Aaron higher
- 1940s: Aaron #247, August #400 — Aaron higher
- 1950s: Aaron #213, August #541 — Aaron higher
- 1960s: Aaron #130, August #693 — Aaron higher
- 1970s: Aaron #36, August #812 — Aaron higher
- 1980s: Aaron #31, August #850 — Aaron higher
- 1990s: Aaron #33, August #731 — Aaron higher
- 2000s: Aaron #50, August #602 — Aaron higher
- 2010s: Aaron #53, August #263 — Aaron higher
- 2020s: Aaron #71, August #110 — Aaron higher
Aaron stood higher in 11 of 15 decades; Aaron has held the lead since the 1920s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Aaron | August |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #148 | #82 |
| 1890s | #179 | #105 |
| 1900s | #181 | #160 |
| 1910s | #188 | #182 |
| 1920s | #218 | #245 |
| 1930s | #246 | #309 |
| 1940s | #247 | #400 |
| 1950s | #213 | #541 |
| 1960s | #130 | #693 |
| 1970s | #36 | #812 |
| 1980s | #31 | #850 |
| 1990s | #33 | #731 |
| 2000s | #50 | #602 |
| 2010s | #53 | #263 |
| 2020s | #71 | #110 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Aaron
- France#20
- Scotland#95
August
Not charting outside the US.
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Aaron
Not established
The Hebrew Aharon has never been given a secure etymology. Traditional Jewish readings link it to har, 'mountain', hence glosses like 'mountain of strength' or 'exalted'; many scholars instead read it as Egyptian in origin, alongside other names in the same priestly family such as Moses and Phinehas. What is documented is the bearer rather than the sense: Aaron the Levite, spokesman for Moses and first of the priestly line.
Aharon → Aarōn → Aaron
How it traveled
The name is Hebrew, and its earliest appearance is in the Torah, where Aaron is Moses' elder brother and the founder of the priesthood. The Greek translators of the Hebrew Bible rendered it Aarōn, and the Latin Vulgate kept that form, which is why English-speaking countries spell it with two a's rather than the Hebrew-style Aharon.
August
Venerable, majestic, exalted
From Latin augustus, an adjective of dignity connected to augere, 'to increase'. The eighth month takes its name from the same source.
augustus (Latin, 'venerable') → Augustus → August → Augusta
How it traveled
The Roman Senate granted Octavian the title Augustus in 27 BC, and the word — until then an adjective meaning venerable or consecrated — became a name and then an imperial style. Later emperors kept it, medieval clergy inherited it through saints named Augustine and Augustus, and continental Europe trimmed it down: German, Polish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian all settled on plain August.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Aaron
AIR-un
The usual American pronunciation is AIR-un, which makes it a near or exact homophone of Erin in most US accents. Many British, Irish and Israeli speakers say AR-un or a-ha-RON instead. Both English versions are correct; expect to state which one you use.
- Ron — Informal clip from the second syllable; also a long-established given name in its own right, usually from Ronald.
- Ronnie — Informal and affectionate; stands alone as a given name for men and women both.
- Ari — Standard short form of Aharon in Hebrew-speaking families, and widely used as an independent given name.
- Air — Playground-level clip, heard mainly in American accents that say the first syllable as AIR.
August
AW-gust
Stress lands on the first syllable, exactly as in the month. The English adjective 'august' stresses the second (aw-GUST), which occasionally causes a moment's hesitation from readers meeting the name in print. German speakers say ow-GOOST.
- Gus — The most established short form, shared with Augustus and Gustav, and long used as a standalone given name in its own right.
- Auggie — Informal and mostly used with children; common in American families now.
- Augie — The older American spelling of the same nickname, more familiar to earlier generations.
- Gussie — An affectionate older form, used historically for both Augustus and Augusta.
Who has carried each name
Aaron
Aaron Judge (b. 1992) — Yankees slugger who set the American League home-run record
Aaron Burr (b. 1756) — The vice president who shot Hamilton in the famous duel
August
August Wilson (b. 1945) — Pulitzer-winning playwright of Fences
August Strindberg (b. 1849) — Father of modern Swedish drama
August Möbius (b. 1790) — The mathematician of the Möbius strip
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Aaron if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsAaron is stepping back from its peak
- a name that charts abroad tooAaron is on the national lists of France and Scotland
Choose August if you want…
- a name on the way upup 74 places on the charts in five years
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Aaron
Strengths
- An unbroken written record from the Hebrew Bible to the present, which means no explaining where it comes from.
- Recognized across languages and scripts — Aharon in Hebrew, Harun in Arabic, Aarón in Spanish, and charting today in places as different as France and Scotland.
- The spelling is the standard English one, familiar in print for centuries, so it needs no defense even if it needs the occasional repeat.
To consider
- The double a at the start is genuinely tricky in writing. Expect Aron, Arron and Erin over a lifetime, and a habit of spelling it out.
- In most American accents it sounds identical to Erin, which occasionally causes confusion on rosters and over the phone.
- The AIR-un and AR-un pronunciations both have long histories, so relatives in different countries may say it differently.
August
Strengths
- A spelling nobody has to be taught — it appears on every calendar and needs no repeating over the phone.
- Two ready-made short forms with centuries of use behind them: Gus and Auggie.
- The same spelling works in German, Polish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian, so it travels without adjustment.
To consider
- It is a month, and people will ask whether the baby was born in it. Fine either way, but the question will come up more than once.
- The English word 'august' shifts its stress to the second syllable, so expect the occasional first-time mispronunciation from someone reading it rather than hearing it.
- For a girl, this exact spelling is heavily outnumbered by the boys, so forms and rosters will often assume a boy. Augusta and Augustine are the traditionally feminine relatives if that matters to you.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Aaron
12%chance Aaron feels dated by 2040
Aaron has held the top-100 across 6 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
August
30%chance August feels dated by 2040
August is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Aaron and August in full.
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Decide together
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
- Distinctly American names
- America's top 100 names right now
- Vowel names: soft starts from A to O
- all guides
Every list here names both Aaron and August — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Aaron or August — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Aaron or August?
- Aaron, in 2025: Aaron ranked #80 with 4,041 babies; August ranked #81 with 3,958 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Aaron or August?
- August. Over the last five years Aaron moved down 17 places; August moved up 74 places.
- Which is the older name, Aaron or August?
- The US record cannot say: both were already in use when it began in 1880.
- How many people are named Aaron and August?
- About 564,000 people named Aaron are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 48,000 people named August are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Aarons or Augusts in the classroom?
- Aaron will almost certainly be the only one in school. August will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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