Aidan

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Aidan , Aiden, Aedan and Aeden
Pronunciation/ˈdən/
GenderMale
Language(s)Irish Scottish English
Origin
Word/nameIreland
MeaningFiery one
Region of origin400 B.C

Aida, Aiden, Aedan or Aeden are the primary anglicisations of the Irish given name Aodhán and the Scottish Gaelic given name Aodhàn.[1]

Etymology and spelling

The name is derived from the name Aodhán, which is a pet form of Aodh.[2] It can be used as a masculine or feminine given name. The personal name Aodh means "fiery" and/or "bringer of fire" and was the name of a Celtic sun god (see Aed).[3]

Formerly common only in Ireland and Scotland, the name and its variants have become popular in England, the United States, and Canada. Aidan has been the 57th most popular name in the United States since the start of the year 2000, bestowed on over 62,000 boys, while Aiden ranking 66th, has been used on over 51,000 boys. Other variants are a bit less popular, such as Hayden 88th, Ayden 189th, Aden 333rd, Aydan 808th, and Aydin 960th, according to the United States Social Security Database.[4] "Aidan/Aiden" was the most popular boys' name in Canada in 2007.[5]

The spellings Aydan, Aydin, or Aden are all more common with Turkish or Arabic origins, and have a different pronunciation.

Its popularity is also reflected in the occurrence of similar-sounding names such as Braden, Caden, Hayden, and Jayden.[6]

Aidan (or any reasonable variant) as a girl's name does not appear in the top one thousand names for girls from the same database, although it has occasionally been used for girls.

Some sources suggest that the feminine equivalent of Aidan is Eithne, which has the same meaning.[7]

Given name

Middle Ages

Modern times

Sports

Fictional characters

  • "Aidan" (The Inside episode), the title of episode 8 of the television series The Inside
  • Aidan, a character in The Secret of Kells
  • Aiden, fictional character in Blood and Chocolate (novel) by Annette Curtis Klause
  • Aidan, fictional character in the computer game Guild Wars (series)
  • Aidan Bok, fictional character in the Star Wars novel Galaxy of Fear: Ghost of a Jedi by John Whitman
  • Aidan Brosnan, fictional character played by Sean Maguire in the television series EastEnders
  • Aiden Burn, fictional female character in the television series CSI: NY
  • Aiden "Danny" Coughlin, fictional character in the novel The Given Day by Dennis Lehane
  • Aiden Dennison, fictional character in the television series South of Nowhere
  • Aidan Devane, fictional character played by Aiden Turner in the television series All My Children
  • Aiden Falconer, fictional character in the On the Run series of novels by Gordon Korman
  • Aiden Ford, fictional character in the television series Stargate Atlantis
  • Aidan of Gwynedd, fictional character in the Deryni novels by Katherine Kurtz
  • Aidan Haldane (Daniel Draper), fictional character in the Deryni novels by Katherine Kurtz
  • Aidan Keller, fictional character played by David Dorfman in the film The Ring
  • Aiden Lucas, fictional character in the television series Ghost Whisperer
  • Aidan Lynch, fictional character in the novel Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
  • Aidan Savage, fictional character in the novel Dark Gold by Christine Feehan
  • Aidan Shaw, fictional character played by John Corbett in the television series Sex and the City
  • Aidan Bedwyn, fictional character in the Slightly series by Mary Balogh
  • Aidan, a minor character in Fallout 2, a member of the slaver's guild
  • Aidan Mathis, a fictional character in the hit TV show Revenge played by English actor Barry Sloane
  • Aiden Pearce, the protagonist of Watch Dogs
  • Aiden, the spiritual entity who is bound to the protagonist of Beyond: Two Souls
  • Aidan, fictional character in the Jade Phoenix trilogy of Battletech novels by Robert Thurston
  • Aidan Price, a fictional character in the longest running web show Red vs. Blue
  • Aidan Waite, fictional character in the Syfy drama/horror Being Human
  • Aiden Monroe, a fictional character in AMC's "The Walking Dead"

See also

References

  1. ^ "Aidan". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
  2. ^ "Aodhán". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 31 October 2009. [dead link]
  3. ^ "Aodh". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
  4. ^ United States Social Security Database.
  5. ^ http://www.babycenter.ca/pregnancy/naming/top2007/
  6. ^ Rosenkrantz, Linda, and Satran, Pamela Redmond (2007). The Baby Name Bible. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-0-312-35220-2, p. 343
  7. ^ Macleod, Iseabail and Freedman, Terry: The Wordsworth Dictionary of First Names, Wordsworth Editions, 1995, ISBN 1-85326-366-4, p.74.