unisex name
Ari
AR-ee
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 3
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 32,853
the United States
#393
2025 births
Ari is a unisex name with several unrelated origins. In Hebrew it means lion; in Old Norse it means eagle; and it also works as a short form of Ariel, Arianna and Aristotle. Which one applies depends entirely on the family, and all are in current use.
- Ari is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2022, when 1,752 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,582 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1958.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Ari over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1950s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 22 |
| 1960s | 484 |
| 1970s | 1,347 |
| 1980s | 1,415 |
| 1990s | 1,897 |
| 2000s | 4,197 |
| 2010s | 9,802 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 9,090 |
What Ari means
Ari means lion in Hebrew, from the word ari used throughout the Hebrew Bible. In Old Norse the same three letters mean eagle, and as a short form of longer names it carries no separate meaning of its own beyond the name it shortens.
Where Ari comes from
Ari has at least three independent sources. The Hebrew ari, a lion, is an ancient word and a common element in Jewish naming — Ariel joins it to el, God. The Old Norse ari, an eagle, was a real given name in medieval Iceland; Ari Thorgilsson, who wrote the Íslendingabók in the twelfth century, is the earliest named Icelandic historian. Separately it serves as a short form for Ariel, Arianna, Aristotle and Aristides, which is how it reaches many Greek and Latin American families. None of these derives from the others; they simply collide in the same two syllables.
Ari in use
Ari charts in six of the seven countries we track and peaked in 2022, which is broad reach for a two-letter-stem name with no single origin.
How popular is Ari?
In 2025, Ari was given to 1,284 babies in the United States, ranking #393 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Ari 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.
Names that peaked alongside Ari
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Ari also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Ari over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Ari
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.
Ari 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 Ari
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Ari — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Ari
What does the name Ari mean?
Lion in Hebrew and eagle in Old Norse. It is also used as a short form of Ariel, Arianna and Aristotle, in which case it takes its meaning from those.
Is Ari a boy's or a girl's name?
Both. It is used for boys and girls in similar numbers across the English-speaking world.
How do you pronounce Ari?
AR-ee is the usual English pronunciation, with the first syllable as in are.
How popular is the name Ari?
In 2025, Ari was given to 1,284 babies in the United States, ranking #393 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Ari?
Ari has 2 syllables.
When was Ari most popular?
Ari peaked in 2022, when 1,752 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Ari?
Ari is usually shortened to Ar.
Is Ari a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Ari currently ranks #295 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.