Aries
Meaning
ram; zodiac constellation name
The story
Aries means ram in Latin, and for most of history it was not a personal name at all: it was the first sign of the zodiac, the 30 degrees of sky where the Sun crosses the March equinox and the astrological year begins. The ram itself, in Greek myth, is the golden-fleeced flier that rescued Phrixus and carried the fleece Jason later chased. Americans turned the sky-word into a child's name within living memory, and the record shows the arrival: 268 boys in the 1990s, 820 in the 2000s, 1,559 in the 2010s, and 1,908 so far this decade, already past the full decade before it, with a strong girls' column rising alongside. Aries Merritt ran the 110-meter hurdles in 12.80 seconds in 2012, a world record that still stood years later. A name that starts the zodiac and, on current evidence, is just getting started itself.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Aries peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
93 people · the #43,413 first name in Brazil · median age 46
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Aries
Most people given the name Aries 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.
The Aries deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Aries 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 Aries fits with your family’s names and surname.
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