boy's name
Aodhan
AY-dawn
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Letters 6
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 2,293
Northern Ireland
#110
2024 births
Aodhan is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "little fire," from Aodh, the name of a fire god. It ranks 110th in Northern Ireland and is stable, and it is the Irish spelling behind the English Aidan.
- Aodhan is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in Northern Ireland in 2009, when 56 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in Northern Ireland.
- Today about 1 in 757 babies in Northern Ireland is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1997.
Aodhan over time
Births per decade in Northern Ireland, 1990s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2024, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 47 |
| 2000s | 269 |
| 2010s | 442 |
| 2020s (to 2024) | 189 |
What Aodhan means
Aodhan means little fire, or little fiery one. The root Aodh was both a very common early Irish personal name and the name of a fire deity, so the diminutive marks someone associated with fire rather than someone small.
Where Aodhan comes from
Aodhan is the Irish Aodhán, a diminutive of Aodh, from an older Aed meaning fire. Aed was a god in pre-Christian Irish religion and among the most common of all early Irish names — dozens of kings carried it. Its saint is Aodhán of Lindisfarne, known in English as Aidan, the Irish monk sent from Iona at King Oswald's request in 635 who founded the monastery on Lindisfarne and converted Northumbria; Bede, who disagreed with him about the dating of Easter, praises him at length anyway. Aodhan is the Irish-spelled form now used in Ireland and the North, while Aidan is the anglicization that traveled and Aiden the American respelling that overtook it there. All three are one name.
Aodhan in use
Aodhan ranks 110th in Northern Ireland with 21 births in 2024 and 272nd in Ireland, and it is stable in our data with a peak in 2009. Our records carry it from 1997, so the Irish spelling is a modern revival rather than a survival — Aidan carried the name through the intervening centuries. It is very rare outside the island at 3,436th in England and Wales.
How popular is Aodhan?
In 2024, Aodhan was given to 21 babies in Northern Ireland, ranking #110 that year. It is a rare choice.
Where Aodhan is used
Figures for Northern Ireland withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. Data & sources.
How Aodhan is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Aodhán | Aodhán is Aodhan written with a fada in Ireland, and the spelling parents there overwhelmingly choose: it ranks #272 in Ireland, against #940 for Aodhan. | 176 |
Names that peaked alongside Aodhan
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Aodhan also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Aodhan over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Aodhan 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.
Sibling names for Aodhan
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Aodhan — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Aodhan
What does the name Aodhan mean?
Aodhan means "little fire," from the Irish Aodh, both a common name and the name of a fire god.
How do you pronounce Aodhan?
AY-dawn. The dh is silent.
Is Aodhan the same as Aidan?
Yes. Aodhan is the Irish spelling, Aidan the anglicization, Aiden the American respelling.
How popular is Aodhan?
110th in Northern Ireland and 272nd in Ireland.
Is Aodhan a girl's or a boy's name?
Aodhan is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
Is Aodhan a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Aodhan currently ranks #110 in Northern Ireland. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.