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Ari

gender-neutral name
Origin
Hebrew
Syllables
2
Peak era
2020s
Today
▲ Rising

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Meaning

"lion"; also a short form of Ariel/Arianna

The story

Ari is Hebrew for lion, and it is also the doorway out of half a dozen longer names, Ariel, Arianna, Aristotle, which gives it an unusual property in our records: it is one of the most genuinely shared names we track, about 3,700 girls to 5,400 boys this decade, four girls for every five to six boys. Its first American surge is precisely datable: 22 in the 1950s became 484 in the 1960s, the years a heroic Ari anchored one of the era's best-selling novels and its film. Since then the climb has been steady, about 1,900 in the 1990s, 4,200, then 9,800 in the 2010s, with 9,100 so far this decade. All-time, our records show about 20,600 boys and 7,700 girls. Three letters, a lion underneath, and doors in every direction: few names do this much with this little.

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The formal names behind Ari

Ari is an established short form of each of these names.

Ariella · Hebrew origin · feminine form of Ariel, from Hebrew for "lion of God"

Arielle · Hebrew origin · French-spelled feminine form of Ariel, "lion of God"

Ariana · Italian origin · Portuguese form of Ariadne, also used in modern English; the ancient Greek name is traditionally interpreted as most holy

Arianna · Greek origin · Italian variant of Ariadne, possibly "most holy"; the origin is disputed

Ariel · Hebrew origin · lion of God; a Hebrew name also familiar in Filipino families

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How popular is Ari around the world?

In the United States, 9,090 babies were named Ari between 2020 and 2025. In South Australia, 20 boys were registered as Ari in 2017.

Ari is on the official records of the United States, South Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Norway, Canada, England and Wales, Austria, Brazil, Mexico City, Ireland, France, Chile, Montevideo, Spain and Argentina.

United States

1 in 2,400

In the United States, 9,090 babies were named Ari between 2020 and 2025.

1890speak 2020s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Ari peaked in the 2020s. In 2025 Ari went to 476 girls and 808 boys in the US Social Security record, one of the few names given to girls and boys in nearly equal numbers.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

See the full list for the United States →

South Australia

1 in 880 · 2017

In South Australia, 20 boys were registered as Ari in 2017.

1970peak 2017

share of that year’s name registrations

Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names

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New Zealand

1 in 1,600

In New Zealand, 36 boys named Ari were registered in 2025.

1990peak 2023

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time

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Scotland

1 in 2,700

In Scotland, 13 boys named Ari were registered in 2024, the 290th most common name among boys that year.
In Scotland, 4 girls named Ari were registered in 2024, the 638th most common name among girls that year.

2000peak 2023

share of that year’s name registrations

Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names

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Norway

1 in 2,800 · register 2026

In Norway, 10 boys were given the name Ari in 2025.

19452025

share of the boys on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure

People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)

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Canada

1 in 3,100

In Canada, 99 boys named Ari were born in 2024, the 331st most common name among boys that year.

1991peak 2023

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)

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England and Wales

1 in 3,400

In England and Wales, 145 boys named Ari were born in 2025, the 310th most common name among boys that year.

1996peak 2023

share of that year’s name registrations

Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales

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Austria

1 in 4,500

In Austria, 16 boys named Ari were born in 2025, the 344th most common name among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.

1984peak 2025

share of that year’s births on record

Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)

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Brazil

1 in 6,400

At the 2022 census, 31,955 people in Brazil were named Ari, the 780th most common name, with a median age of 60.
Among people named Ari living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1960s than in any other decade.

1930speak 1960s2010s

people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth

The census also counted 124 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

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Mexico City City

1 in 7,800

In Mexico City, there were 15 registrations of Ari in 2022.

2000peak 20092022

share of that year’s registrations in the city

Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023 (1 registration through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

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Ireland

1 in 14,000

In Ireland, 4 boys named Ari were born in 2025, the 676th most common name among boys that year.
The count never rose above 9 in a year, too few to chart.

Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names

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France

1 in 14,000

In France, about 45 boys named Ari were born in 2025, the 915th most common name among boys that year.

1960peak 2025

share of that year’s births on record

Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)

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Chile

1 in 16,000

In Chile, 7 girls were registered as Ari in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
In Chile, 4 boys were registered as Ari in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.

1920peak 2021

share of that year’s name registrations

First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021

See the full list for Chile →

Montevideo City

1 in 25,000 · 2011

In Montevideo, 1 boy named Ari was born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.

Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial

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Spain

1 in 110,000

In Spain, 288 residents are named Ari, ranked 3,475th among men, with a mean age of 15.6 years.
In Spain, 108 residents are named Ari, ranked 7,287th among women, with a mean age of 8 years.

Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025

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Argentina

1 in 330,000

In Argentina, 2 newborns were given the name Ari in 2024.

2012peak 2023

share of that year’s name registrations

Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024

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New South Wales

outside the top 100

Ari is not in the 2025 top 100 for New South Wales.

2020peak 20232025

share of that year’s top-100 registrations

New South Wales (not all of Australia) publishes only each year’s 100 most popular names per sex, so a missing year means below that top 100, not rare. Source: NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, popular baby names

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Poland

last on record 2024

Ari is not on the 2025 record for Poland, where names given fewer than 2 times in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.

First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)

See the full list for Poland →

Not on the record in Puerto Rico: that registry withholds small counts, so rare uses may sit below its floor.

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

When you meet Ari

Most people given the name Ari in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Ari

Briella Jace Eliana Beau Evie Jaelyn

Keep exploring

Names like Ari · Names that go with Ari · Middle names for Ari · Jewish American baby names · Short names · What is Ari short for? · Gender-neutral names · Truly unisex names

Name trails: explore connections from Ari →

The Ari deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Ari truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Ari fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

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