Head to head · Boys' names
Eiden vs Kendrick
#536 vs #535 in 2025
Kendrick is a whisker ahead (#535 vs #536 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Kendrick is stepping back from its peak, Eiden is climbing the charts fast. On momentum, Eiden has the edge.
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, Kendrick leads 5 measures of 6; Eiden 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
- 1910s: Eiden —, Kendrick #1928 — Kendrick higher
- 1920s: Eiden —, Kendrick #2016 — Kendrick higher
- 1930s: Eiden —, Kendrick #2206 — Kendrick higher
- 1940s: Eiden —, Kendrick #1529 — Kendrick higher
- 1950s: Eiden —, Kendrick #1442 — Kendrick higher
- 1960s: Eiden —, Kendrick #956 — Kendrick higher
- 1970s: Eiden —, Kendrick #405 — Kendrick higher
- 1980s: Eiden —, Kendrick #355 — Kendrick higher
- 1990s: Eiden —, Kendrick #384 — Kendrick higher
- 2000s: Eiden #6462, Kendrick #511 — Kendrick higher
- 2010s: Eiden #2466, Kendrick #417 — Kendrick higher
- 2020s: Eiden #1171, Kendrick #468 — Kendrick higher
Kendrick stood higher in every recorded decade — 12 of 12.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Eiden | Kendrick |
|---|---|---|
| 1910s | — | #1928 |
| 1920s | — | #2016 |
| 1930s | — | #2206 |
| 1940s | — | #1529 |
| 1950s | — | #1442 |
| 1960s | — | #956 |
| 1970s | — | #405 |
| 1980s | — | #355 |
| 1990s | — | #384 |
| 2000s | #6462 | #511 |
| 2010s | #2466 | #417 |
| 2020s | #1171 | #468 |
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
Eiden
generally read as a form of Aiden, from Irish Aodh, 'fire'
Two readings compete, and both are reasonable. Most often Eiden is treated as a respelling of Aiden/Aidan, which traces to Irish Aodhán, a diminutive of Aodh, 'fire' — so 'little fire'. But the ei- opening also pulls the name toward Eden, the Hebrew place name meaning 'delight' or 'pleasure', and some families choose the spelling with that echo in mind. Because Eiden itself has no separate documented origin, neither reading can be called the true one.
Aodh → Aodhán → Aidan → Aiden → Eiden
How it traveled
The line behind the sound is well documented: Aodh was an old Irish name meaning 'fire', and Aodhán its affectionate diminutive, anglicized over centuries as Aedan, Aidan and finally Aiden. Aidan traveled from Ireland into Britain in the early medieval period and then across the Atlantic with Irish emigration, and by the late twentieth century the -aden ending had become one of the most productive shapes in American naming, spawning Aiden, Ayden, Aidan and Adan side by side.
Kendrick
'royal power' or 'chief hero', depending on which root
Two serious readings compete, because two separate old names produced the same surname. From Old English Cyneric — cyne 'royal' plus ric 'power'. From Welsh Cynwrig — cyn 'chief, foremost' plus a second element usually read as 'hero' or 'man'. A third, quite different route exists in Scotland, where Kendrick comes from Mac Eanraig, 'son of Henry', and carries no 'royal power' sense at all.
Cyneric → Cynwrig → Kenrick → Kendrick
How it traveled
Kendrick is one of those names that reached us backwards: it was a family name for centuries before anyone thought to give it to a baby as a first name. Behind the surname sit the Old English Cyneric and the Welsh Cynwrig, both compounds built from words for rulership and pre-eminence, worn down over the medieval period into Kenrick and then Kendrick with the intrusive d that English so often slips into such clusters.
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
Eiden
EYE-den
Both EYE-den and AY-den are in use, since English gives 'ei' either value. Families who chose the name as a form of Aiden usually say AY-den. Whichever you pick, expect to state it once when meeting new people.
- E — An initial used casually at home; no fuller short form has become standard for this spelling.
- Eide — Informal clipping of the first syllable, used in speech rather than in writing.
Kendrick
KEN-drik
Stress on the first syllable. Two syllables, no silent letters, and the same in British and American English. English speakers read it right on the first try.
- Ken — The standard short form, and a long-established given name in its own right; most strongly represented among older generations.
- Kenny — Informal and affectionate, also used as a full given name on its own.
- K — Initial-only nickname, common among American teenagers and in sports settings.
- Drick — Back-half clipping, informal and mostly used between friends.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Eiden if you want…
- a name on the way upup 1,193 places on the charts in five years
- a name that feels very nowEiden is climbing the charts fast
Choose Kendrick if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsKendrick is stepping back from its peak
- plenty of nickname options4 recorded short forms — Ken, Kenny and K
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 40% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 62% for Eiden
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
Eiden
Strengths
- The sound is already familiar to almost everyone in the US, so it is repeated correctly after one hearing even when the spelling is new.
- Two syllables, six letters, and no silent or doubled letters — easy for a child to write early.
- Sits on a long, unbroken documented line back to Irish Aodh and Aodhán, if you want a history behind it.
To consider
- The spelling will be corrected for life. Aiden is the default in most people's hands, and Eden is the second guess, so forms, name tags and email addresses will need checking.
- The sound is one of the most common in American boys' naming even though this spelling is not. A child may be one of several Aidens, Aydens and Aidans by ear, if not on paper.
- Because 'ei' can be read two ways, you will be the one who sets the pronunciation, and it may not stick with everyone who only sees it written.
Kendrick
Strengths
- Spelled the way it sounds from parts English speakers already know — Ken and the -rick ending — so it rarely needs repeating.
- Comes with ready-made short forms, Ken and Kenny, both of which have stood alone as names for a very long time.
- A long unbroken record in American use, so it is familiar without being crowded — a Kendrick will likely be the only one in the class.
To consider
- It is closely tied in many people's minds to one very famous contemporary bearer, the rapper Kendrick Lamar. That association is likely to be the first thing said about the name for years to come — a plus for some families, a distraction for others.
- Kenrick, Kendric and Kendrix all exist, so expect the occasional dropped d or swapped ending in writing, even if the pronunciation never causes trouble.
- The natural short form, Ken, sits with an older generation and has its own separate baggage from the Barbie films. Kenny travels more easily with a child.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Eiden
62%chance Eiden feels dated by 2040
Eiden is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
Kendrick
40%chance Kendrick feels dated by 2040
Kendrick 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 Eiden and Kendrick 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 Eiden and Kendrick?
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 head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Eight-letter names with presence
- Quiet perennials: a century old, never popular
- Names ending in -ck
- all guides
Where Eiden and Kendrick each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Eiden or Kendrick — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Eiden or Kendrick?
- Kendrick, in 2025: Kendrick ranked #535 with 559 babies; Eiden ranked #536 with 558 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Eiden or Kendrick?
- Eiden. Over the last five years Eiden moved up 1,193 places; Kendrick moved down 110 places.
- Which is the older name, Eiden or Kendrick?
- Eiden entered the US charts in 2004; Kendrick entered the US charts in 1912. On the American record, Kendrick is the older name.
- How many people are named Eiden and Kendrick?
- About 2,100 people named Eiden are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 32,000 people named Kendrick are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Eidens or Kendricks in the classroom?
- Eiden will almost certainly be the only one in school. Kendrick 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
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