Aaron
Masculine
Aaron is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 614,462 boys against 4,395 girls since 1880. See Aaron as a girl name
Aaron belongs to the oldest layer of names still in everyday use: it is the name of the brother of Moses in the Hebrew Bible, the first high priest, and it has been written and spoken continuously ever since. In English it has two open vowels and a soft landing, and it has traveled far enough that a child called Aaron would be recognized in Jerusalem, Madrid and Warsaw alike.
How old is the name Aaron?
Aaron was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Aaron alive today was born around 1989, making them about 36 years old. About 564,000 people named Aaron are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Aaron most popular?
Aaron peaked in 1994, reaching #28 nationally. Today it ranks #80, 52 places below that high. See the whole 1994 chart.
Where it comes from
From Aharon to Aaron
The story of Aaron
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. Latin Christianity carried it across Europe, while the related Arabic Harun spread through the Islamic world. English use widened sharply after the Reformation, when Protestant families began drawing given names straight from the Old Testament, and it has stayed in circulation on both sides of the Atlantic since.
Meaningnot established
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.
Cultural footprint
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
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
How the name formed
- Aharon
- Aarōn
- Aaron
Related forms: Aharon · Harun · Aarón · Aronne · Aron · Arn
Pronouncing 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.
Nicknames for Aaron
High
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 198915,308 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #28reached in 1994
- Change vs 2022
- −10.7%4,041 in 2025, from 4,527
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Aaron in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Aharon in Hebrew — same name
- Harun in Arabic — related form
- Aarón in Spanish — spelling variant
- Aronne in Italian — related form
- Aron in Polish — spelling variant
- Arn in Yiddish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Florida. INSEE rounds every published count to the nearest five for statistical confidentiality; the ranks are calculated from the exact figures. International figures from INSEE, National Records of Scotland. Sources
Aarons among us
people named Aaron are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 423 born in 2025 was named Aaron
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Randy test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Aaron's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Randy climbed just as high around 1956, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Randy's path sketches the road Aaron is walking now.
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.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Aaron is headed
Aaron should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Aaron beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Aaron in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- 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.
- Established short forms already exist — Ron, Ronnie, Ari — rather than having to be invented.
- Two syllables, easy consonants, and no clash with common surnames.
- 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.
- It has stepped back a little from its high point without going anywhere — familiar to everyone, but unlikely to be duplicated in one classroom.
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What they receive
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Aaron
Masculine · #80 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Aarons are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 564,000 people named Aaron are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Aaron in 2025?
- Aaron ranks #80 among US boy names in 2025, with 4,041 babies given the name.
- How common is the name Aaron?
- About 1 in every 423 US boys born in 2025 was named Aaron — 4,041 in all.
- Will my child share the name Aaron with classmates?
- Aaron will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Aaron
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
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Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Aaron? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration; international figures from national statistics agencies. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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