Head to head · Girls' names
Angelina vs Aylin
#347 vs #345 in 2025 · Greek vs Turkish roots
Aylin is a whisker ahead (#345 vs #347 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Aylin is holding its place on the charts, Angelina is stepping back from its peak.
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
The tape is even: Angelina and Aylin each lead 3 measures of 6.
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: Angelina #511, Aylin — — Angelina higher
- 1890s: Angelina #357, Aylin — — Angelina higher
- 1900s: Angelina #251, Aylin — — Angelina higher
- 1910s: Angelina #208, Aylin — — Angelina higher
- 1920s: Angelina #203, Aylin — — Angelina higher
- 1930s: Angelina #306, Aylin — — Angelina higher
- 1940s: Angelina #498, Aylin — — Angelina higher
- 1950s: Angelina #579, Aylin — — Angelina higher
- 1960s: Angelina #522, Aylin — — Angelina higher
- 1970s: Angelina #354, Aylin #7781 — Angelina higher
- 1980s: Angelina #298, Aylin #7486 — Angelina higher
- 1990s: Angelina #284, Aylin #3587 — Angelina higher
- 2000s: Angelina #76, Aylin #756 — Angelina higher
- 2010s: Angelina #169, Aylin #447 — Angelina higher
- 2020s: Angelina #311, Aylin #401 — Angelina higher
Angelina stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Angelina | Aylin |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #511 | — |
| 1890s | #357 | — |
| 1900s | #251 | — |
| 1910s | #208 | — |
| 1920s | #203 | — |
| 1930s | #306 | — |
| 1940s | #498 | — |
| 1950s | #579 | — |
| 1960s | #522 | — |
| 1970s | #354 | #7781 |
| 1980s | #298 | #7486 |
| 1990s | #284 | #3587 |
| 2000s | #76 | #756 |
| 2010s | #169 | #447 |
| 2020s | #311 | #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
Angelina
little angel; from Greek 'messenger'
The root is Greek angelos, 'messenger', which Christian Greek and then Latin took up as the word for an angel. Angela is the feminine of that; Angelina adds the Italian diminutive -ina, so the sense is roughly 'little Angela' or 'little angel'.
angelos (Greek, 'messenger') → Angelus (Latin) → Angela → Angelina
How it traveled
The word behind the name is Greek angelos, a messenger, which the Greek translators of the Hebrew Bible used for the heavenly messengers and which passed into Latin as angelus. From that came Angelus and Angela as personal names in medieval Christian Europe, and Italian did what Italian does — added -ina to make Angelina, a name long at home in Italy and in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries.
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
Angelina
an-juh-LEE-nuh
Stress on the third syllable. Italian and Spanish speakers say ahn-jeh-LEE-nah with a fuller second vowel; both are the same name and neither needs correcting.
- Angie — The most common English short form; also given on its own as a full name, and shared with Angela.
- Lina — Taken from the end of the name; a standalone given name in its own right across Europe and the Middle East.
- Angel — Informal, and a full given name of its own in English and Spanish, where it is usually masculine (Ángel).
- Ange — Casual, one syllable, more common in Britain and Australia than in the US.
- Also Gina, Nina.
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 Angelina if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsAngelina is stepping back from its peak
- a name with more sound in itAngelina runs 4 syllables, Aylin 2
- plenty of nickname options6 recorded short forms — Angie, Lina and Angel
- a long American recordAngelina was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Aylin if you want…
- a name on the way upup 44 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesAylin is 2 syllables to Angelina's 4
- a newer arrivalAylin entered the US charts in 1973
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 40% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 76% for Angelina
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
Angelina
Strengths
- The spelling is already known worldwide — Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian all use it as written, with no adaptation needed.
- Several short forms are long established: Angie, Lina, Ange, Gina. None has to be invented.
- A continuous record in American use across every shift of fashion since national name statistics began.
To consider
- For the last quarter-century one very famous actress has held most of the name's public associations in the US. That will fade, but it is the first thing many adults think of.
- The 'angel' meaning is plain to anyone who hears it, and Angel is an easy playground shortening. If you would rather the religious note stayed quiet, this name will not keep it quiet.
- Four syllables is a lot before a long surname, and near-neighbors like Angelena, Angeline and Angelica mean the spelling gets checked now and then.
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.
How each is likely to age
Angelina
76%chance Angelina feels dated by 2040
Angelina is coming down from a big peak (#43 in 2005). This is the stretch of the cycle where a name starts to sound like the decade it ruled.
Aylin
40%chance Aylin feels dated by 2040
Aylin sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
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 Angelina 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 Angelina 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 Angelina and Aylin — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Angelina or Aylin — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Angelina or Aylin?
- Aylin, in 2025: Aylin ranked #345 with 885 babies; Angelina ranked #347 with 875 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Angelina or Aylin?
- Aylin. Over the last five years Angelina moved down 57 places; Aylin moved up 44 places.
- Which is the older name, Angelina or Aylin?
- Angelina was already in use when US records began in 1880; Aylin entered the US charts in 1973. On the American record, Angelina is the older name.
- How many people are named Angelina and Aylin?
- About 101,000 people named Angelina 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 Angelinas or Aylins in the classroom?
- Angelina 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 Angelina, Aylin and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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