Head to head · Girls' names
Aisha vs Aylin
#337 vs #345 in 2025 · Arabic vs Turkish roots
Aisha is a whisker ahead (#337 vs #345 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Aisha is back after a long quiet spell, Aylin is holding its place on the charts.
Cast your vote
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, Aisha leads 6 measures of 6; Aylin leads 0.
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
- 1950s: Aisha #4932, Aylin — — Aisha higher
- 1960s: Aisha #3404, Aylin — — Aisha higher
- 1970s: Aisha #746, Aylin #7781 — Aisha higher
- 1980s: Aisha #504, Aylin #7486 — Aisha higher
- 1990s: Aisha #587, Aylin #3587 — Aisha higher
- 2000s: Aisha #690, Aylin #756 — Aisha higher
- 2010s: Aisha #565, Aylin #447 — Aylin higher
- 2020s: Aisha #428, Aylin #401 — Aylin higher
Aisha stood higher in 6 of 8 decades; Aylin has held the lead since the 2010s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Aisha | Aylin |
|---|---|---|
| 1950s | #4932 | — |
| 1960s | #3404 | — |
| 1970s | #746 | #7781 |
| 1980s | #504 | #7486 |
| 1990s | #587 | #3587 |
| 2000s | #690 | #756 |
| 2010s | #565 | #447 |
| 2020s | #428 | #401 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Aisha
Living, alive; thriving
From the Arabic root ʿ-y-sh, 'to live'. The same root gives the ordinary Arabic words for life and living.
ʿĀʾisha (Arabic) → Ayşe / Aïcha → Ayesha → Aisha
How it traveled
Aisha is the English spelling of Arabic ʿĀʾisha, a feminine form built on the root meaning 'to live'. Its fame across the Muslim world rests on Aisha bint Abi Bakr, wife of the Prophet Muhammad and a major transmitter of hadith in the seventh century; from that point the name travels wherever Islam travels, taking local shape as Ayşe in Turkish, Aïcha in French-speaking North Africa, Ayesha in South Asia, and Aixa in Spanish by way of al-Andalus.
Aylin
Moon halo — the ring of light around the moon
The first element, Turkish ay, 'moon', is certain, and Turkish naming tradition reads the whole name as the halo or aureole of moonlight. The exact history of the ending is less securely explained than the moon itself.
ay (Turkish, 'moon') → Aylin → Aylín
How it traveled
Aylin is Turkish, one of a cluster of names formed from ay, 'moon', that spread widely in Turkey over the twentieth century alongside Ayla, Aysun, Aynur and Aysel. It is also used in Azerbaijani.
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
Aisha
ah-EE-shuh
Also widely said AY-shuh, and in Arabic closer to AA-ee-sha with a catch of breath in the middle. All three are current in the US, so the family's preferred version is worth stating once and early.
- Aish — The usual one-syllable clip among English speakers; informal, spoken more than written.
- Isha — Used as a short form and also stands alone as a given name in South Asia.
- Aishu — Affectionate South Asian diminutive, mostly family use.
- Ash — Anglicized shortening heard in US schools; shared with Ashley and Ashton.
Aylin
eye-LEEN
That is the Turkish and Spanish pronunciation, with the weight on the second syllable. Many American families say AY-lin instead, rhyming the first part with 'day'. Both are in real use, so it is worth deciding which one you want and saying it that way from the start.
- Ay — Informal, family use; the moon-word the name is built from.
- Lin — Informal clipping of the second syllable, used in English-speaking settings; also stands alone as a given name.
- Ayli — Affectionate spoken form rather than a written one.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Aisha if you want…
- a name on the way upup 199 places on the charts in five years
Choose Aylin if you want…
- a name holding steadyAylin is holding its place on the charts
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
Aisha
Strengths
- A clear, settled meaning — 'living' — from a root still used in everyday Arabic.
- Recognized across Arabic, Turkish, Swahili, Urdu, French and Spanish-speaking communities without needing translation.
- Continuously documented since the seventh century, with no gap in use anywhere along the way.
To consider
- Two pronunciations compete in American English — ah-EE-shuh and AY-shuh — so expect to correct people, or to accept both.
- The spelling has real rivals: Ayesha, Aiesha and Aïcha are all established, and some people will default to one of those when writing it down.
- In Muslim families the name carries a specific and honored association with Aisha bint Abi Bakr. That is a strength for many; for families outside that tradition, it is simply worth knowing the name arrives with it.
Aylin
Strengths
- Short, five letters, and spelled the way it is spelled everywhere it is used — no long or shortened variant competing for the standard form.
- Works in Turkish and in Spanish without adjustment, and stays readable in English.
- Uncommon enough in American classrooms that a child is unlikely to share it with anyone in her year.
To consider
- Two pronunciations circulate — eye-LEEN and AY-lin — so she may spend her life correcting one or accepting both.
- Ayleen, Aylene, Aileen and Eileen all sound close and are separate names with separate histories; expect some spelling confusion, especially over the phone.
- If the Spanish accented form Aylín matters to you, know that American forms, databases and school systems will often drop the accent.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
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 Aisha and Aylin in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Aisha and Aylin?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Aisha and Aylin — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Aisha or Aylin — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Aisha or Aylin?
- Aisha, in 2025: Aisha ranked #337 with 910 babies; Aylin ranked #345 with 885 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Aisha or Aylin?
- Aisha. Over the last five years Aisha moved up 199 places; Aylin moved up 44 places.
- Which is the older name, Aisha or Aylin?
- Aisha entered the US charts in 1950; Aylin entered the US charts in 1973. On the American record, Aisha is the older name.
- How many people are named Aisha and Aylin?
- About 26,500 people named Aisha are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 17,000 people named Aylin are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Aishas or Aylins in the classroom?
- Aisha will almost certainly be the only one in school. Aylin will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Aisha, Aylin and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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