Ayaan
Torn between Ayaan and another name? Compare them side by side →
Meaning
traditionally linked to Sanskrit ayana, 'path, progress'
The story
Ayaan arrived in the American record all at once: five in the 1990s, 1,100 in the 2000s, 4,400 in the 2010s, and 3,700 so far this decade, already closing on the full 2010s. The name is at home in several worlds: Sanskrit ayana, path or progress, gives it a South Asian root, and it is widely used among Muslim families as well, from East Africa to the Gulf. That reach is the point. Short, open, vowel-led, easy in English and true in several languages at once, it has the shape modern global names take. In our records it goes to boys about 8,900 to 250. A path name, which suits a record that has only ever moved in one direction: forward.
How popular is Ayaan around the world?
In the United States, 3,672 babies were named Ayaan between 2020 and 2025. In England and Wales, 443 boys named Ayaan were born in 2025, the 118th most common name among boys that year.
Ayaan is on the official records of the United States, England and Wales, New Zealand, South Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Scotland, Austria, Poland and Spain.
United States
1 in 5,900
In the United States, 3,672 babies were named Ayaan between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Ayaan peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
England and Wales
1 in 1,300
In England and Wales, 443 boys named Ayaan were born in 2025, the 118th most common name among boys that year.
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
New Zealand
1 in 1,900
In New Zealand, 30 boys named Ayaan were registered in 2025.
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
South Australia
1 in 2,3002017
In South Australia, 8 boys were registered as Ayaan in 2017.
The count never rose above 8 in a year, too few to chart.
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
Canada
1 in 2,400
In Canada, 153 boys named Ayaan were born in 2024, the 219th most common name among boys that year.
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)
France
1 in 3,600
In France, about 180 boys named Ayaan were born in 2025, the 294th most common name among boys that year.
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)
Ireland
1 in 4,200
In Ireland, 13 boys named Ayaan were born in 2025, the 317th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
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
Scotland
1 in 4,600
In Scotland, 10 boys named Ayaan were registered in 2024, the 352nd most common name among boys that year.
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
Austria
1 in 8,500
In Austria, 9 boys named Ayaan were born in 2025, the 494th most common name among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
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)
Poland
1 in 62,000
In Poland, 4 boys named Ayaan were born in 2025, the 490th most common name among boys that year.
The count never rose above 6 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)
Spain
1 in 230,000
In Spain, 198 residents are named Ayaan, ranked 4,683rd among men, with a mean age of 6 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
Argentina
last on record 2020
Ayaan is not on the 2024 record for Argentina, where small counts are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
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
Not on the record in Mexico City and Puerto Rico: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Ayaan
Most people given the name Ayaan 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.
Where Ayaan travels
Indian American · God's gift (common in Indian Muslim American families)
Somali · traditionally meaning lucky, fortunate
Keep exploring
Somali baby names · British and London baby names · Indian American baby names
The Ayaan deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Ayaan 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 Ayaan fits with your family’s names and surname.
Does Ayaan fit YOUR family?
nametree reads your family’s names and finds the ones that belong. Free, private, no ads.
Add Ayaan to your family’s tree →