girl's name
Aïcha
ah-EE-sha
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Girl
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (France)
- Births on record 22,658
France
#97
2025 births
Aïcha is a girl's name of Arabic origin meaning "alive" or "living," borne by the youngest wife of the Prophet Muhammad and one of the most significant women in early Islam. It ranks ninety-seventh in France and is rising.
- Aïcha is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in France in 2022, when 755 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 1,112 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1924.
Aïcha over time
Births per decade in France, 1920s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1920s | 25 |
| 1930s | 60 |
| 1940s | 190 |
| 1950s | 880 |
| 1960s | 2,005 |
| 1970s | 2,230 |
| 1980s | 2,290 |
| 1990s | 1,530 |
| 2000s | 2,125 |
| 2010s | 4,810 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,125 |
What Aïcha means
Aïcha means alive, living or prosperous. The Arabic root relates to life and to living well, so the name carries both vitality and flourishing rather than mere existence.
Where Aïcha comes from
Aïcha transliterates the Arabic Aisha, from a root meaning to live. Aisha bint Abi Bakr was the youngest wife of Muhammad and the daughter of the first caliph; she narrated more than two thousand hadith, was consulted on law and theology by the early community, and led forces at the Battle of the Camel in 656. Her standing differs sharply between Sunni and Shia tradition, which is one reason the name's distribution varies across the Muslim world. The French spelling uses a diaeresis to mark the i as separately sounded; English and Arabic transliteration give Aisha or Ayesha.
Aïcha in use
Aïcha ranks ninety-seventh in France with about 705 births in 2025 and its peak in our records is 2022. The unaccented Aicha appears in the United States at 3,129 and in Ireland beyond 850. Our data carries the name from 1924, which makes it one of the earliest Arabic names in the French series — earlier than Naïm, Kaïs or Anas, and reflecting France's long connection with North Africa.
How popular is Aïcha?
In 2025, Aïcha was given to 530 babies in France, ranking #97 that year. It is one of the most popular names in France.
Where Aïcha is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Aïcha is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Aicha | Aicha is Aïcha without the diaeresis, and the spelling recorded in France, where it ranks #314. | 14,548 |
| Aîcha | Aîcha is a rare spelling of Aïcha, written with a circumflex and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Aïcha
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Aïcha also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Aïcha over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Aïcha in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Dutch
- Aïcha
Sibling names for Aïcha
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Aïcha — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Aïcha
What does the name Aïcha mean?
Aïcha means "alive" or "living," from an Arabic root relating to life.
Who was Aisha?
The youngest wife of the Prophet Muhammad, who narrated more than two thousand hadith and led forces at the Battle of the Camel.
How do you pronounce Aïcha?
ah-EE-sha, three syllables. The diaeresis marks the i as separately sounded.
How old is Aïcha in French records?
Our data carries it from 1924, earlier than most Arabic names in the French series.
Is Aïcha a girl's or a boy's name?
Aïcha is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
When was Aïcha most popular?
Aïcha peaked in 2022, when 755 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Aïcha a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Aïcha currently ranks #97 in France. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.