girl's name
Aisha
AY-sha
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (E&W)
- Births on record 48,397
the United States
#337
2025 births
Aisha is a girl's name of Arabic origin meaning "living" or "alive." It comes from the root h-y-y and was the name of the Prophet Muhammad's wife, a major transmitter of hadith.
- Aisha is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in US records in 1977, when 1,550 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1970s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival in US records.
- Today about 1 in 1,209 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1950.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Aisha over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1950s to 2020s. Aisha is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 33 |
| 1960s | 163 |
| 1970s | 4,658 |
| 1980s | 4,265 |
| 1990s | 4,008 |
| 2000s | 3,930 |
| 2010s | 5,421 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,482 |
What Aisha means
Aisha means living, alive, or one who thrives. The sense is vitality rather than mere survival — a life that flourishes, from a root describing the act of living rather than the fact of it.
Where Aisha comes from
Aisha comes from the Arabic ʿāʾisha, the active participle of ʿāsha, to live, from the root ʿ-y-sh. Aisha bint Abi Bakr was the Prophet Muhammad's wife and is among the most important early transmitters of hadith, with a large body of reports attributed to her; she is a central and, between Sunni and Shia traditions, a contested figure. The name reached African American use in the 1960s and 1970s through the same movement that popularized Aaliyah, Malik and Kareem, which is a separate route from its arrival in Britain through South Asian and Middle Eastern migration.
Aisha in use
Our data is unusual here: Aisha peaked in 1977 and is marked reviving, not rising — one of the few names in this group with a completed cycle rather than a steady climb. That 1977 peak is the American cultural moment, not the British one, and it sits at 106 in England and Wales against 337 in the United States.
How popular is Aisha?
In 2025, Aisha was given to 436 babies in England and Wales, ranking #106 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Where Aisha is used
England and Wales figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year. The historical chart above uses US records, the only series running back to 1880. Data & sources.
How Aisha is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Aïsha | Aïsha is Aisha written with a diaeresis, used in France, where it ranks #360. | 1,455 |
| A'isha | A'isha is Aisha written with an apostrophe, recorded mostly in England and Wales. | 114 |
Names that peaked alongside Aisha
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Aisha also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Aisha over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Aisha
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Aisha 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
Common questions about Aisha
What does the name Aisha mean?
Aisha means "living" or "alive," from the Arabic ʿāsha, to live.
Who was Aisha in Islam?
A wife of the Prophet Muhammad and one of the most significant early transmitters of hadith.
What is the difference between Aisha and Ayesha?
Only spelling. Ayesha reflects South Asian transliteration; Aisha is closer to the Arabic.
How popular is the name Aisha?
In 2025, Aisha was given to 436 babies in England and Wales, ranking #106 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Is Aisha a girl's or a boy's name?
Aisha is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Aisha?
Aisha has 2 syllables.
When was Aisha most popular?
Aisha peaked in 1977, when 1,550 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1970s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
What are the nicknames for Aisha?
Aisha is usually shortened to Ish.
Is Aisha a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Aisha currently ranks #106 in the United States. After peaking in the 1970s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.