boy's name
Ares
AIR-eez
- Origin Greek
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 10,109
the United States
#290
2025 births
Ares is a boy's name of Greek origin, borne by the god of war. Its own meaning is uncertain: the leading proposal connects it to a Greek word for ruin or bane, which would make the god's name a description of what war does rather than a title.
- Ares is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 1,186 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,795 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1983.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Ares over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1980s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 |
| 1990s | 66 |
| 2000s | 449 |
| 2010s | 3,153 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,903 |
What Ares means
Ares is generally connected to the Greek are, meaning ruin, bane or curse. The derivation is plausible but not proven, and unlike most Olympian names it has no clear pre-Greek source that scholars agree on.
Where Ares comes from
Ares names the Greek god of war, and the name is attested in Mycenaean Greek on Linear B tablets, which makes it very old. The usual derivation links it to are, ruin or bane, giving a sense of war as destruction — fitting for a god the Greeks themselves disliked. Homer has Zeus call him the most hateful of all the gods, and Athena, who represents strategy rather than slaughter, defeats him repeatedly. The Romans identified him with Mars, who was a considerably more respectable figure in their religion. As a given name Ares is modern, first appearing in our records in 1983.
Ares in use
Ares first appears in our records in 1983 and reached its highest recorded use in 2025, the most recent year we hold.
How popular is Ares?
In 2025, Ares was given to 1,186 babies in the United States, ranking #290 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Ares is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Ares is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Arès | Arès is Ares written with a grave accent in France, and the spelling parents there overwhelmingly choose: it ranks #364 in France, against #1,366 for Ares. | 505 |
| Arés | Arés is a rare spelling of Ares, written with an acute accent and recorded about 15 times, mostly in France. | 15 |
Names that peaked alongside Ares
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Ares also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Ares over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Ares
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.
Ares 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 Ares
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Ares — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Ares
What does the name Ares mean?
It is uncertain. The leading proposal connects it to the Greek are, meaning ruin or bane.
Who was Ares in Greek mythology?
The god of war, and one the Greeks openly disliked — Homer has Zeus call him the most hateful of the gods. The Romans identified him with Mars.
What is the difference between Ares and Aries?
Ares is the god of war. Aries is the ram of the zodiac, from the Latin for ram. They are different words that sound similar in English.
How popular is the name Ares?
In 2025, Ares was given to 1,186 babies in the United States, ranking #290 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Ares a girl's or a boy's name?
Ares is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Ares?
Ares has 1 syllable.
When was Ares most popular?
Ares peaked in 2025, when 1,186 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Ares?
Ares is usually shortened to Ari.
Is Ares a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Ares currently ranks #290 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.